My Adventure with Moemon
by sarsars
Summary: Arthur has been tricked by his teacher into the world of Moemon.  Little girls who dress and behave like Pokemon. However, he grows to accept the idea and, with Garrett at his side, goes on his journey across Kanto to challenge the Pokemon League.
1. Prologue

Hey, Sis, glad you got home. I need to talk to you about something. It concerns a series that I know you enjoy, and that I certainly enjoy. Pokémon.

Love that smile! Reminds me of someone…

Sorry, right. About these, uh, ice packs. I know I look terrible. Bruises, scrapes. It's been rough. It's been a rough day of school.

Please, stop interrupting! This will be a long story, and I want to get as much detail as possible. It's real. I think. Don't quote me on that. But it sure felt real. I'll answer your questions, I hope. Except the how and the why. I don't know.

Get yourself a snack, or something. We have a few hours until Mom and Dad come home, and I'm as excited to tell it as you are to hear it. Like, I'm really excited. Absolutely ecstatic.

So, you know Kanto. Everyone does. It's been in ten games so far. Well, I've been there. I traveled throughout the region. Myself, and I'm sure you remember Garrett. Few others. We'll get to them.

Yes, I did. Again, I'm not sure it was real, but I certainly did. I didn't get these injuries for nothing. Or I might've. I need to stop questioning. Distracting. Sorry. You don't care.

Well, here's something that will get you interested. I don't suppose you've heard of the term "Moemon". "Moe" is essentially a Japanese term for little girls. And, well, I had a team of six. Or several teams of six.

Yeah, they were adorable. They were great fighters. We had some problems, some complications, but I think things worked out for the better.

Okay, enough foreshadowing. Go get yourself a snack, Sis. I'll collect my thoughts, and when you come back, I'm going to tell you a story. A story about…

…my adventure with Moemon.


	2. Chapter 1: The Classroom

Chapter 1: The Classroom

* * *

><p>Great, great, you're back. Hope you haven't told anyone I'm crazy. You'll want to after I finish, but for now, give me the benefit of the doubt.<p>

So, the most significant events today- or several months ago; hard to tell – began at math class. Mr. McDonald, my tall, friendly, commanding-voiced teacher, was standing outside the classroom door and talking to another teacher. I had come in alone, and when I did, Mr. McDonald held his foot out to stop me in my tracks. He nearly tripped me, and he handed me a sheet of paper. Thinking it was a quiz, I took it suspiciously and walked to my seat.

Garrett was sitting behind me. Curly haired, face brim with freckles, always a smile on his face. He had the sheet out and was grinning when I turned around.

"Seen the rules, yet, Arthur?" He asked with a knowing grin.

I looked at the classroom rules, which we had gone over several months ago. "Sure?"

He tapped his own sheet. "These! Check them out!" He was incredible excited, and I wondered why. I looked at the paper. Immediately, the bolded, underlined, italicized, 48-font words caught my eye: "Nuzlocke rules". I read the list, and my own grin widened as I went down.

"These sound suspiciously like a certain video game we play," I said. I looked to my left, to the classroom video game expert: Quinton. Quinton had a rounded face and a bulky body, and his spectacles glimmered in the sunlight. He looked somewhat sullen, but his foot was shaking in anticipation. "What say you?"

He turned to me and cracked a small smile. "I'm familiar with this," he replied. "I've done a Nuzlocke before."

"How is it?" Garrett asked.

"Incredibly difficult," he replied. "You have to grind so many levels, and you have to pick the right moves and right stats." He looked at the list again. "It's missing a rule, though."

"Doesn't seem too hard," Garrett replied nonchalantly. "Pokémon is never a hard game. And what's that about a rule?"

Before Quinton could respond, our classroom jock sat down behind him, saying, "What's this about Pokemon?"

Quinton turned around and pointed at the list. "It seems we're playing Pokemon this hour, Drew."

"Awesome!" Drew replied, throwing his backpack to the ground and fiddling with his earring. "Think you could give me some tips?"

"Sure," Quinton replied. Drew turned to talk to his friends, and Quinton turned around to face the board. I could sense the hostility. It had been going on for years.

The remaining seats filled up. Max sat to my right, and his wide-eyed face was as ecstatic as Garrett's when he heard the news.

The bell rang, and Mr. McDonald closed the door behind him. He had no sheets of paper left. For once, everybody was there that day. He walked to his desk and pulled a large, wide box and stood at the front of the classroom. The class, except for the rustling of paper as people skimmed the rules, fell silent.

"Who wants to play some Pokémon?" He asked. There was a large bout of cheering. Mr. McDonald was a friendly guy. We respected him greatly. We joked and kidded and had grand old times. He never raised his voice or got angry, and for that we appreciated him.

"Of course!" Called Max. "We're teenagers, aren't we?" The class cheered in agreement. If there was one game most of us had played, it was Pokémon. Even if we'd outgrown it by now, it was our childhood.

"Glad to hear it, Max," Mr. McDonald replied. "So I hope you've read the rules. We're going to play a game today. It will involve these objects and the sheet of paper, as well as your own knowledge of the game and your common sense. If you need pointers, I'll be happy to explain after everyone's settled. Now then, we pass out balls."

There was a great whisper at these words. Nobody even chuckled at the double entendre. Our minds raced with thoughts. Garang, the tall, athletic, amiable boy at the front was Mr. McDonald's first choice.

"Reach in the box, and pull out any random one," Mr. McDonald replied, giving everyone a sly look.

Garang peeked into the box, and gave one of the widest, toothiest grins I'd seen him give. He looked at the rest of us and said, "You're going to love this." He reached into the box and pulled out a Pokeball.

"Open it!" We called, as Mr. McDonald stood at Garang and waited. Garang opened the ball, and pulled out a coin. There was immediate disappointment.

"What were you expecting?" Mr. McDonald asked with mock annoyance. "I'm a school teacher. I can't afford real Pokeballs. They're far too expensive."

"What's an Oshawott?" Garang asked, as he held the coin to the sunlight, mispronouncing the name.

"Let's get our Pokémon expert," said Garrett, ushering Quinton forward. Quinton obliged, correcting Garang on his pronunciation and pointing out the creature's species, and some basics. As others weren't familiar with every Pokémon in existence, Quinton helped as best as he could, eventually following Mr. McDonald and checking every single one.

As he called out names, I started noticing a pattern. There were no limitations as to region or type. It wasn't just the fifteen starters who were chosen, although they certainly were. All thirty Pokémon chosen were the first evolutions of three evolution trees. For example, when Quinton got his Pokémon, he smiled at his choice: A Beldum.

"One of the greatest Pokemon in the game," he explained.

"Well aren't you lucky," I replied.

Drew was as confused as Garang was with his Pokemon. "Looks like a duck," he joked as he handed Quinton the coin.

"Magby," Quinton explained, as Mr. McDonald moved to our row. "Powerful fire type. If you remember Magmar, it gets even more powerful."

"I think I remember that episode," Drew reminisced.

Garrett had gotten a Ralts, and he knew enough to know that this was a lucky deal. When Mr. McDonald came to me, I wasted no time in getting mine. Quinton, Garrett, and Max all leaned in as I opened mine.

"Charmander," Max grinned. "Arthur, you lucky son of a gun." He had gotten a Trapinch, and he was disappointed.

"Flygon isn't the greatest," Quinton agreed. "But it's powerful once you get the right moves."

All of the Pokeballs had been passed out, and Mr. McDonald tossed the box aside. "So, you all have your Pokemon," he began. "Now, we're going to be going on a field trip to a faraway land called Kanto. When we get there, I'll explain all I need to know. But, for now, I'd like for you all to take a nap."

We looked at each other in confusion, and then that angelic snap. It sounded like a choir had descended from the heavens and was singing a soothing, beautiful melody which lulled us into a deep sleep. I wasn't tired before the snap, and at the time I wasn't even aware Mr. McDonald had done anything. It happened so quickly. One second, I was wide awake, and the next, my head felt like lead and it had collapsed onto the pillow of a desk.

* * *

><p>When I woke up, I was lying in a grassy field. The wind blew strongly, bringing with it a cooling air which helped immensely, as the sun was beating down on me with intense heat. I lifted my head slowly, feeling slightly nauseous, but otherwise in fine shape. My classmates were lined up, and most were unconscious. Drew had woken up, and he was kneeling by his friends and shaking them awake. I did the same with mine.<p>

As the others awoke, I turned to see Mr. McDonald standing and facing us with a stern look on his face. Other than that, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but when I did a double take, I noticed he was now wearing a long, white lab coat and small spectacles that reflected the sun.

"Hey, look," I said to the groggy Garrett, pointing at Mr. McDonald. "It's Oak. Only young."

Garrett blinked a few times. "I see the resemblance. Where are we?"

I shrugged. Finally, everyone had woken up, and we were all facing Mr. McDonald expectantly.

Mr. McDonald cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Each of you has on you three things. Each of these objects is essential to you completing this task. I cannot stress this enough. You must not lose any of them. This, of course, means that several of you will lose several of them. In fact, I guarantee it. But to those competent enough to remember: remember these items."

"You know this is kidnapping, right?" One of the Drew's friends called.

"It's not kidnapping if you're willing to go," Mr. McDonald replied.

"Well, technically that's not-"

"This is Kanto," Mr. McDonald said with finality. "You'll want to go." He stepped closer. "Now, item one-" he pulled a Pokeball out of his pocket. "You will want to open these."

There was a rustling as people pulled miniature Pokeballs out of their pockets. There was a collective wisp of air as the white button was pressed and the balls grew in size, and then a large, almost deafening stretch of the futuristic laser-like noise as people repeated the press. White light shot out from each Pokeball and culminated into the appearance of the respective Pokemon.

…is what I would have said, had there been Pokemon in each ball.

"Mr. McDonald," said one girl with disgust. "What is this?"

"This is a Moemon," Mr. McDonald replied, picking up his own. It was wearing a leaf on its head and was wearing a blue dress. "It would have been a Lotad, had it been a Pokemon."

We didn't know what to make of this. I myself was looking at my own Charmander with confusion. She, however, was looking at me in awe and fascination. She had large, red eyes and was wearing an orange hoodie which covered her whole body, equipped with a tail with a small flame at the tip. She was one of the most adorable creatures I'd seen in my life, and it took me a while to realize this.

"These are little girls," continued the girl. "And you want us to travel with them?"

"That's correct," Mr. McDonald replied.

"With all due respect," the girl said. "These girls must have families. And if we take them with us, who knows what some of us would do with them. We could misplace them or-" she paused, and gulped. "-abuse them. Not to mention, if I remember correctly, in Pokemon, the animals fight each other. And that's bad enough. These are little girls."

"I wanna fight," came a small, but confident voice. I looked at the ground, and my Charmander was looked at the girl intensely. "We… we're Moemon. Right? We fight."

The girl looked at me angrily, as if it was my fault. I didn't know what to do, so I walked forward and picked the Moemon up in my arms. She turned to me and smiled.

"Did I do good?" She whispered, grinning happily. I nodded and smiled and for the rest of the conversation, I held her in my arms."

"That's brainwash," the girl continued, still glaring at me. "You've done something to them, and now you're forcing them to fight for some sick pleasure. I want to go home."

"I want to fight, though," said the girl's Moemon. She looked at her master in anger. "Don't stop me from fighting. I want to fight and to become strong and be the strongest!"

The girl kneeled down and whispered to her. Meanwhile, Mr. McDonald turned to the rest of us and continued. "I didn't realize this would have such a strong negative feedback."

"She reminds me of my sister," said Max. "I wouldn't my sister to fight other girls."

Mr. McDonald looked to the side and thought. "I suppose these next thoughts wouldn't help matters. I suppose if anyone wants to fight, I'll let them. It is entirely up to you. But, if I could sweeten the deal, I would say that the prize for becoming the champion of Kanto will be one million dollars. Taxfree."

"Because that's believable," said the girl. "The reward wouldn't be worth the suffering."

"The second item will be a watch. No matter what your decision is, I'd like all of you to put the watch on. These watches are connected. They have a few apps. The first is the list of rules which I gave you in the classroom. Of course, there is an added one. But you can read it on your own. The second-"

"That's absolutely horrible!" the girl shouted after she read the added rule. "And it only furthers my point. We can't subject these girls to it!"

"We were happy about doing it to animals," admitted her friend. "It's somewhat hypocritical to be fine with the suffering if it was another species." The girl didn't answer.

"The second application is the location of each competitor. By clicking on their name, you will be able to see their Moemon's status, their location, and their position in battle."

"No privacy," the girl stated. "Even better!"

Many classmates were still skeptical, and many had taken to holding their Moemon like I was. Garrett decided to comment, "It's a good thing this screen is so large, then."

"Not the most comfortable watch," said Mr. McDonald. "But it's practical. The third app is your own status. Whenever you enter in battle, the watch's screen will change to fit the game's menu system which you're all too familiar with. This will show your Moemon's HP, your opponent's HP, each Moemon's type and level, as well as the PP of each move."

"Battles won't happen like in game, though," Quinton asked. "They'll be faster, and we'll have to think on our feet."

"Correct. The watch is more of a way to gauge whether you can win each battle, which will be important if you decide to pursue the challenge.

"The final object is the Moedex. This shows each Moemon you have caught and places them in your personal computers, provides a small description of each, has some helpful tips should you get lost or confused, and allows you to name your captured Moemon. I suppose that's it. I had thought I'd have gotten more positive feedback, but your choice is your own. I hope at least one person will participate, as I believe this will be a great learning experience. Any questions about strategy, please ask me. As for morals, I can see your point," he indicated the girl. "But I stick to my suggestion. I believe you'll thank me for this. Maybe. Someday."

My Charmander looked at me in confusion. "Why is Mr. Oak talking like that?"

"Mr. Oak," I chuckled, shaking my head in amusement. The Charmander continued to look at me, so I was forced to answer. "She believes that taking you from your parents and forcing you to battle is wrong."

"What parents?" Charmander asked in genuine confusion. She didn't show a hint of remorse, so I assumed she hadn't lost her parents, but that didn't stop me from wanting to cry. Manly tears of manliness.

And then I remembered the rules. There were five on the app. I checked them when I had the time.

* * *

><p>Rule 1: You may only catch the first Moemon you find on a route. (And here, there was a list of all of the possible locations. Pallet Town was in red, the rest in green)<p>

Rule 2: Name each and every Moemon. (I came up with Charmander's later)

Rule 3: No matter what you do or where you travel, you must go through the following routes. (And here was the same list as in Rule 1. Once again, Pallet Town was in red)

Rule 4: No matter who you travel with, you must do the following in order to complete the challenge. (And there was a large list of essentially every task in the original games, without sidequests such as the Sevii Islands or the Power Plant or Seaform Islands)

Rule 5: Moemon can die if they lose HP. Take care of them.


	3. Chapter 2: Pallet Town

Chapter 2: Pallet Town

* * *

><p>Where Mr. McDonald had explained the rules of this game was a large field in the center of Pallet Town. Several yards behind us was a small park, consisting of a slide, swing set, and merry-go-round made of slightly rusted metal. There were few houses scattered along the relatively flat field, as well as a large mansion on a nearby hill, with smoke fuming out of its chimney. The field had miles of short, vibrant green grass, with no trees for miles. But when there were trees, it was clear that they encompassed the entire town, with the only reprieve being a fairly large beach with pleasant waves. Aside from the thirty-one of us, no other humans were playing in the park or at the beach; they had all abandoned their homes or refused to come outside, which was worrying.<p>

I had taken my Charmander to the bottom of the hill leading to the mansion, which I had deduced was Oak's lab. There, we were shaded from the bright sun. The others had gone off in groups, and many were standing near the park and talking. I was thinking about my own decision.

"What are we going to do?" I wondered aloud. The girl had a point: these were little girls, no matter what they resembled or what they think. And, apparently, they could die. They could have been brainwashed into thinking that fighting was the only reason to exist. Charmander didn't have parents and was committed to fighting. It seemed to fit.

"Become Champions!" Charmander responded happily. She was walking around me, occasionally stopping to punch the air or kick the hillside.

"I don't know," I replied. "You heard her."

"That mean girl? She doesn't know about us! We fight! We win! We get money, prizes! And we'll meet friends along the way! Why wouldn't we go?"

"Morals," was my response. I couldn't give an argument. I did want to go on a Pokemon Adventure. I have my whole life. This was tempting. But she was so young that I couldn't decide. And then Quinton and Garrett found me.

Garrett had his trademark grin, and his Ralts was walking along by his side. Quinton's Beldum was resting on his shoulder, slightly hidden from view and watching me with apprehension. I nodded at her.

"What's wrong with your Beldum?" I asked.

Quinton looked at her. "Melody's a bit shy."

"You named her?" I asked. "You named her 'Melody'?"

Quinton shrugged. "You know I like music, Arthur," he explained. "Plus, she'll evolve into a Metang and a Metagross and calling her 'Belle' then would just be confusing. She only has fifteen levels to go."

"So you've decided."

Quinton nodded. "I've talked with her, and despite her being so shy, the one thing she is adamant in is becoming a Champion. I can't talk her out of it."

"It'll be a good growing experience for her," Garrett continued, pointing at Melody. "Meanwhile, my Gloria here is absolutely ecstatic."

"I've wanted to do this my whole life," Gloria exclaimed. She was wearing an oversized white dress, and her lime green hair completely covered her eyes. She pointed at my Charmander victoriously. "We're going to become champions!"

Charmander stomped the ground in frustration. "No you won't! We will!" She looked at me expectantly. "Won't we?"

I bit my lip in thought. Everyone's eyes were on me, and I didn't want to disappoint anyone. I decided to give in to my childhood dreams. "We're going to be champions!"

"Glad to hear it!" Garrett exclaimed. "Shame not everyone has our ideas."

Quinton was checking his watch at that moment. "Some of us have." He pointed at one dot, which had left Pallet Town. "Garang's racing ahead."

"Can we call him?" I asked. "We're too far away to catch him before he gets too far."

Quinton pressed his watch several times. There was a small ringing. "The answer is yes."

After a few rings, Garang's voice picked up on the phone. "What's up, Quinton?"

"Garang, what are you doing?" Quinton asked.

"Olivia and the others convinced me that we need to get to the League first, so I guess I'm winning the race."

"There's no one in our class named Olivia," I muttered. "Even Garang's named his Pokemon."

"Moemon," Charmander corrected.

"First of all, this isn't a race," said Garrett.

"Oh, hi Garrett! Who else is there?"

"Me. Look, Garang, how many Pokeballs do you have?"

"Moeballs," corrected Gloria. Garrett quietly told her to shush.

"Uh, I don't have any."

"According to Nuzlocke rules – and this is an implied clause, Garang – if you encounter a Poke- Moemon and you don't have any Pokeballs, you won't be able to catch it," Quinton explained.

"I'll get some at the Pokemart."

"How much money do you have?"

"I dunno."

"Come back to town and get stocked. Ask Mr. McDonald for some money if you aren't sure. No one else is close to leaving, yet, so you have plenty of time to prepare."

"Not true," Garang had stopped. "Drew and his friends were talking about going. And I know you three would likely go. There's a competition that you have to win."

"Garang," We were near pleading at this point. "You have a little girl under your care. You have to think things through, think them carefully, plan ahead. You can't rush off."

"Listen, guys, you make good points, but this is the beginning of the game," Garang said, and he started moving again. "I like that you guys care, but I can handle myself. Don't worry. I'll protect Olivia with my life, if things come to that. And I'll see you guys at the league."

There was a pause. Quinton was about to hang up, but then Garang's voice came one more time. "If I need help, I'll call you. I might need help."

"Sure," Quinton replied. "We'll be sure to catch up with you."

Garang chuckled. "Talk to you later." Quinton hung up.

"Olivia?" Garrett replied. "Doesn't Oshawott evolve into Samurott?"

"It's fine," Quinton hand waved it. "Names don't have to begin with the same letter as their Pokemon counterparts. It's just easier to remember, and if Garang remembers, then more power to him."

I had been looking at Charmander as they spoke. She and Gloria had been arguing about who's stronger, and I lightly held them by their heads to prevent them from actually harming each other. Meanwhile, I was thinking about Charmander's name. It was easy to come up with a pattern with the Pokemon named: Char. Charlotte seemed too innocent of a name for how she acted. Crystal was another contender, and I set that aside for later.

Suddenly, Charmander spouted a small puff of smoke at Gloria, who whipped her hair away in response.

"Christine! Don't do that!" I scolded. And then I paused. Christine had been the name I last considered before she had puffed.

"Sorry," Christine muttered, both to me and then to Gloria. She walked over to me and repeated her name. "I like it!"

"So that's your name," said Garrett. He looked at me. "Now what should we do?"

"We should take our own advice," said Quinton. "Let's ask the others what they're going to do." He checked his watch. "Others are starting to follow Garang. Drew's crew has left. So has Max."

"Aw, Max left without us?" Garrett pouted. "That's a shame."

"I guess her argument didn't convince many people," I noted.

"Don't say that," Quinton interjected. "Only a few have left. Most of the class are still scattered around the town." He looked up the hill. "Should we check the lab? Sometime we get our first pokeballs there."

And so we climbed the hill. It took us around ten minutes to climb the spiraling stone steps that led to the mansion's entrance. We had taken to carrying our Moemon on our shoulders; no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't keep up, and they tired quickly.

We knocked on the lab's giant glass doors before opening them and walking inside. The room was covered in mechanical machines, computers, and stacks of books and papers. There was a small living room furniture set, complete with television, table, and couch, pushed off to the side of the well-lit lab. We could hear footsteps and muttering coming from deeper in the building, so we decided to call out.

Almost immediately, a voice replied telling us to make ourselves comfortable. A tall man with short, black hair and large glasses walked quickly into the room to meet us.

"Hello, hello!" He exclaimed, and then he noticed the girls on our shoulder. "Ah, you're beginning your Moemon journey!"

"I'll never get used to that," Garrett whispered.

"Yes," answered Quinton. "And we were wondering if we could get some supplies."

Before he responded, the man looked at Melody suspiciously. "We don't get many Beldum around Kanto. You must be very lucky. Be careful; they don't get a strong attack for many levels."

Quinton patted Melody on the head. "We won't."

The lab assistant, as we soon learned, walked back into the lab. Melody looked at Quinton and clutched his shirt tightly. "I don't like him," she whispered, barely audible to anyone. "I don't trust him." Melody was dressed in all blue, and sticking out of the back of her head was the strangest thing I'd ever seen: An arm as large as she was, with three metal spikes coming out like fingers. It was a wonder how she was able to balance herself, as the arm looked heavy enough for me. Quinton told us he didn't feel a thing as we questioned him walking up the hill.

"Magnets," was his simple answer. "She uses magnets."

We couldn't argue with that, so we said nothing further. It always caught my eye, and I couldn't help but stare at it until she noticed me and hid from sight.

"So what's our plan?" Garrett asked.

"We get the others' opinion on the game, talk to Mr. McDonald one last time for advice, and then go on our journey." Quinton replied.

"I'm good with that plan," I agreed. "We'll catch up with Max and, perhaps, Garang, and ration out supplies."

Garrett patted his stomach. "We're going to have to cook our own food," he grumbled.

"We'll be fine," I said. "Wait until we have to get to Cinnabar before you worry."

"How about Rock Tunnel," Quinton said, and we shuddered. "That isn't something to look forward to."

The assistant came back holding three backpacks. "Check supplies, and see if I gave you enough. Five Moeballs each, a few potions and an antidote, a few sandwiches and bottled waters, and some money for Viridian City."

"This is very helpful," Quinton said. "Thank you very much."

"It's my pleasure," the assistant responded. "Best of luck on your adventure! I wish you the best!"

We left the lab in high spirits. "There was nothing wrong with him," Garrett said. "Sorry, Melody, but I don't see why you were nervous."

Melody had practically made a home in Quinton's hair by this point. "I still don't trust him."

We walked down the hill and into town, using the watch as a guide. By this point, more than half of our classmates had left the town, and those remaining were congregating around the park. We questioned them all, and determined that seven of them were certainly not going on the journey, and the rest were undecided or staying to get tips from Mr. McDonald, as they hadn't played the games in years.

Checking the process of those who had departed, Garang was far in the lead, but his Olivia had been hurt, and he was practically sprinting to the next town. He only had one Moemon. Only one other person had captured another Moemon: Jacob, one of Drew's friends. Jacob's Squirtle had been damaged, but now he had his own Pidgey.

"This is amazing," Quinton muttered. "We can literally check every piece of information about everyone." He had been fiddling with the watch throughout our census, and he had told us various pieces of information. "Nicknames, inventory, money, battle progress, favorite moves. Many people have figured out how to name Moemon." He indicated Jacob's Moemon. "Unfortunately, this is also a way to gauge maturity."

"Spitter and WindBlower," Garrett recited. "Unbelievable."

"Poor girls," I said. We walked up to Mr. McDonald, who was in the middle of discussing status conditions.

"Have you three decided?" He asked. When we told him that we had, he clapped his hands. "Glad to hear it, and glad to see that you're going in a group. Is there anything you'd like to ask before you go?"

"How different is this from the original game? Is it closer to Firered or Red?" Quinton asked.

"Closer to Firered, but I will say that all five generations of Moemon can be discovered in the wild on various routes, so while you're limited to a certain number of them, you're not limited in terms of the originals. Also, many of the gym leaders have changed Moemon. Your watch has details on their highest leveled Moemon and their main typing so you can plan for that. If you need help, you can contact your friends for advise or you could discuss some of the strategy videos and hints that are provided."

"Basically, don't lose the watch," Garrett summed up.

"Don't lose the watch." He turned to the others. "Best of luck, you three. It may be a race, but have fun with this. It will be an adventure!"

We said goodbye to the others and turned to leave. As we were walking out of town, we came across the girl who had argued with Mr. McDonald earlier. She looked at us, and then at the Moemon on our shoulders. She frowned, but not in anger.

"Take care of them, please," she said. "I wouldn't want to see any of them get hurt."

"Neither would I," I said sincerely. "Don't worry about us."

"You should compete," Quinton said. "You care so much about them. You should want to collect more."

She shook her head. "That would force me to battle them, and I could never subject myself to that. I can't convince you not to fight. Just, try not to hurt too many."

"We'll try," Quinton lied. Quinton's own advice was that, because of the massive amounts of level grinding we'd be forced to do, we'd have to battle a lot of Moemon.

We left town.


	4. Chapter 3: First Catches

Chapter 3: First Catches

* * *

><p>As we left the town boundaries, as if we had stepped through an invisible force field the entire atmosphere had changed. Trees surrounded the thin path we walked along, with branches hanging overhead, blocking much of the sun. The leaves glistened in the light, and Christine kept directing me into the light.<p>

"Walk there, Arthur!" She whispered, pointing toward a large patch of light. "I like it!" I obliged, chuckling.

Quinton was explaining several of the features of the watch to Garrett, who was checking his own watch excitedly.

"This is great! Hey, Dylan is battling a Larvitar!" Garrett exclaimed.

"Already?" I asked, hurrying over to them. "But he has a Tepig. He's not going to kill it."

The Larvitar had most of his health, while Dylan's had lost most of his. He had no items. Supposedly, he had used up his Moeball, if he had any, and refused to run away. He called one last tackle, and then the Larvitar tackled. The Tepig Moemon dropped to the ground, all its HP gone, and…

Our watches started flashing red. "DYLAN HAS RUN OUT OF POKEMON! DYLAN HAS WHITED OUT" and then Dylan's dot disappeared from the map.

"What happened to him?" I exclaimed. "Did he just lose?"

"He lost all of his Moemon, so yes," Quinton replied.

"He was just ahead of us, so we should help," Garrett said, quickening his pace.

And so we ran to Dylan's estimated location. There, we saw nothing but a small puddle of blood, a cracked tree, and a bunch of footsteps. I shielded Christine's eyes when I noticed the blood, and though she pouted, I refused to remove my hand.

"Dylan's gone, then," I said. I looked around. "Do you think… he was captured by something?"

"Not in this route," Quinton replied. "Nothing would be strong enough. I think he's simply gone. He lost the game, so he's departed from the game."

"So, we can't even stay around if we lose all of our Moemon?" Garrett asked. "That's a terrible deal."

"I think it's worse for the Moemon," I said bitterly, now covering Christine's ears.

"We have Pokeballs," Quinton said, noticing my struggle. "You don't have to cover her when you can send her into the silence."

I looked at Christine, who was looking at me in annoyance. "I can't. They don't belong in Poke- Moeballs. It's bad enough subjecting them to that." I pointed at the blood.

"Do you want to go back to Pallet?" Garrett asked. "You aren't taking this well."

"You know I have a sister," I said. "It's hard. That's all. I'll be fine. Just give me a moment to relax."

"We should clean the blood, at least," Quinton said, and he pulled a bunch of leaves.

I walked into the trees, composing myself. Christine climbed onto my head and bent over so that her face was directly in front of mine, only upside down.

"What's the matter?" She asked innocently.

"I'll be fine," I said, grateful for her concern.

"So that friend of yours, Dylan, his Moemon died, didn't she?" She asked knowingly. I nodded slightly. "I'm sorry for her, and for him. She wasn't strong enough. But that's okay! We'll be stronger for them, right?"

I was conflicted, wanting to defend Dylan from her implication and agree with her to console her. But then I realized that she was taking the loss better than I was, and that I couldn't defend Dylan, because his sacrifice taught me an important lesson.

"Christine, I want you to promise me something," I said. "If I say to run away, you run away."

"But if we run away from every fight, we won't be stronger!"

"And if we fight every fight, there's a large chance that you may die. You have weaknesses, Christine. You know that. You can be strong, but you must be smart, too. We have to pick our battles wisely."

"I like that," came a small voice from the trees. I grabbed Christine and held her tight, searching around for the source of the sound. A flash of grey from my left, disappearing just as quickly. "You two might be the ones I'm looking for."

"Who are you?" I demanded. "Show yourself!"

And then she did. A black-haired girl wearing a grey-and-white patterned skirt and yellow boots dropped from the trees and landed in front of us, kneeling. She stood up and lifted her arms, revealing that grey wings were attached to her elbows. Her eyes stared at us with a certain emptiness.

"Starly," I whispered. I got out the Poke – Moedex – to be sure. A level 4. I nodded and turned to Christine. "Ready to fight?"

"Absolutely!" She shouted with glee, jumping out of my arms and smiling at the Starly. "Ready to lose?"

The Starly smiled knowingly. "I think you're too confident," she replied.

And then she jumped into the air and slapped Christine with her wings. Down 3 health. Christine stumbled back and turned to me for help. I looked at her moveset. "Scratch!" I shouted. Christine ran at the Starly and scratched with her claws, and then for good measure spun around and singing the Starly with her tail. The Starly lost a fair amount of health, so I told her to repeat the attack. This time, the Starly jumped into the air, flipping backward, and landed on a tree branch.

"That hurt!" She complained, rubbing her cheek. "Your nails are too long!"

"Sorry," Christine replied, rubbing her stomach. "Your wings are really strong too."

"Are you ready?" I asked. Christine turned to me and nodded. I dropped my backpack and kneeled down, fumbling inside it for a certain item. "Then use scratch!"

Christine jumped at the Starly and scratched her, sending her off the tree branch and knocking off a good chunk of health. She aimed for another scratch, and this sent the Starly dangerously close to zero.

"Come back, Christine!" I commanded, but Christine hesitated.

"But, we can be stronger if we beat her," Christine argued. She was on top of the Starly and had her pinned down. The Starly could barely move, and was breathing deeply. I managed to grab the item I was searching for and walked over to the pair. Christine had her hand raised, prepared to strike, when I kneeled next to them and put it gently down.

"I suppose it's fair to tell you what I'd like to do," I said. I held out the Moeball in front of her. "You said you might be looking for us. Does that mean you'd be willing to join us?"

The Starly couldn't take her eyes off the ball. "To fight the League?"

"Yes."

"Will you go to Celadon City?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll go."

I dropped the Moeball onto her head, and she disappeared in a bright, red light. The Moeball wobbled a few times, its button glowing red, before it ceased all movement and color. Christine looked disappointed as I picked the ball up.

"We did it, Christine," I said. "We caught our first Moemon."

Christine frowned. "We could've beaten it."

"The next one." I replied. I heard rustling in the bushes. I turned and saw Quinton and Garrett looking at me proudly.

"Congratulations," they said.

"It's no Larvitar, but Staraptor's a good bird," said Quinton. "What'll be it's name?"

I thought a while. "I think Stacy's a good name." I threw her Moeball into the air, and she appeared in a flash of light, flapping her wings to stay airborne. "Hello, Stacy."

"Stacy," she repeated thoughtfully. "That's what you're calling me?"

"Would you like me to call you something else?" I asked. She shook her head. "Then yes."

Stacy dropped to the ground and walked up to Christine. Christine looked at her suspiciously for a few seconds, and then held out her hand.

"Welcome to the team, Stacy!" Christine said gleefully. Stacy looked at her for a second, and then shook her hand.

"Should we go back to Pallet?" I asked. "Get these two healed up?"

Quinton nodded. "I think it'd be wise." We started our trek through the woods and reached the path with no incident. It was while we were walking down the path that we encountered another Moemon. A girl was crawling on the ground, wearing a yellow, furry hoodie with two blue eyes painted above her real blue eyes. Garrett pulled us aside when we reached her.

"I've got this," he said. "Gloria? Are you ready?"

"Absolutely!" Gloria exclaimed, and the two jumped onto the path.

"Can we help?" Christine asked, pulling my sleeve.

I shook my head. "We'll let Garrett handle this on his own." I turned to Quinton. "So what about you?"

"I wouldn't mind having a Galvantula," he said. "But I'll let Garrett have it."

"That's a Joltik, right?" I asked, and Quinton nodded.

Garrett and Gloria had called out to the Joltik, which was staring at them with a mouth that seemed permanently shaped into a three. The Joltik stared at them, her head tilted to the side, sparks rising from her back. Garrett opened his Moedex and stared at it in shock.

"Tackle?" He said unconfidently. Gloria looked at him in confusion. "You don't gain confusion for another level, don't you?"

"You didn't have a plan?" Gloria asked, annoyed. "Why would you do this without a plan?"

"Hey! You're the one who can only growl!" Garrett retorted. "You're doing a good job of it, by the way!" He pulled out a Moeball. "We'll catch her at full health, then.

At the sight of the ball, the Joltik jumped a few inches and tried scuttling away. Garrett ran up to her and threw the ball at her back, and she disappeared in a flash of red. A few rumbles of the ball later and the Joltik had submitted defeat. Garrett grabbed the ball and held it in the air in victory.

"We did it!" He shouted. He looked at Gloria for approval, but Gloria folded her arms and looked away. "No thanks to you. Don't worry, we'll train you up. Might have to do that switcheroo trick, but we'll get you an attack."

"I feel honored," she said sarcastically. Christine patted her on the shoulder reassuringly.

"Looks like I can beat you in a fight," Christine said, happily.

I turned to Quinton. "What are you going to do with Melody?" I asked. "She only has takedown."

"I'll have to go back to Pallet quite a bit," he replied. "If I want to train her, and if I don't catch another one to switch."

"We should find you one as soon as possible," I said.

Stacy, sitting on my shoulder, winced as she touched her face. "Sooner rather than later, please. I'm thirsty and tired."

"Go on ahead," Quinton said. "Heal at Pallet. I'll find a teammate and follow-" He turned instinctively to the right. "Thanks, Melody." He pulled out a Moeball and walked deeper into the trees. After hesitating, I followed, curious to see what he would catch.

It was a Wooper. That much was obvious; no other Pokemon had those purple, coral-like whiskers. This Moemon had a rubbery, light blue dress with three purple, horizontal stripes stretched across the front, and a large, smooth tail which was currently waving in the wind. She was unaware of our presence, and Quinton was able to sneak up on her without alerting her.

"Take down," he whispered, and Melody jumped from his shoulder and shot at the Wooper like a rocket. The Wooper was unable to dodge in time and took the take down straight on. The Wooper flew into the distance, collided with a tree, and fell to the ground.

"That was horrible!" I exclaimed, wincing at the crunch I heard.

"Melody, you are awesome," Quinton said. "She took out most of the Wooper's health, and still has well over a third of her own."

"So catch it!" I said, ushering him forward. And so Quinton caught the Wooper, and held the Moeball happily.

We walked back to the path, discussing possible nicknames, and found Garrett, talking to his Moemon.

"I know, Jenny, but without you, Gloria can't fend for herself," Garrett said. Jenny, the Joltik, was looking at the ground with a mixture of shame and sadness. When we approached them, Garrett explained: "Jenny's sad that she wasn't able to break out of the ball at full health."

"Moeballs are strong," Quinton said. "I've been able to catch Legendaries in them. Don't feel bad; you've joined a strong trainer."

Jenny shook her head, still looking at the ground.

"She'll learn," said Garrett. "So, where did you two run off to?"

Quinton threw his ball into the air, and the Wooper materialized on the ground. After blinking a few times to get used to the light, she turned around in a circle to survey all of us, and then she gave a wide, toothless grin.

"Hello, everyone! Nice to meet you!"

Melody floated down next to her. "Sorry that I, uh, hurt you," she said quietly, looking at the Wooper's feet.

"You did give me a good whack," she said, rubbing her head. "But that's alright! At least you didn't kill me!"

"I didn't want to kill you," Melody pleaded.

"And I'm glad you didn't!" The Wooper looked at Melody with the same grin. "You're too strong for me! You could've broken me up and thrown me away! Or something like that! But you didn't, and now I'm on your team!"

I looked at Quinton strangely. "You sure know how to pick them," I commented.

"I like her," said Garrett. "Bit kooky, though."

"And what will you call Ms. Kooky?" I asked.

"Wendy," Quinton replied.

"Wendy the Wooper." Wendy the Wooper replied. "Wendy Woopa!"

Stacy whispered into my ear, "She's going to get on my nerves."

"Sorry to hear that, but you always have your Moeball," I replied. She looked at me in response with a mixture of annoyance and amusement. "You'll grow to like her. Don't worry."

"I'm only worried about my sanity," she replied. Wendy was spinning in circles for no other reason but to spin in circles. "And hers."

"We should head back to Pallet," Garrett said. "We'll heal, gloat, and get to know each other."

"I'd appreciate that healing," Stacy announced.

"We're going to be making this trip a lot," Quinton said. "Might as well stay near Pallet."

"Sounds good," Garrett said, and then we heard a faint, low rumbling. "Let's eat!"

And so, we walked back to Pallet Town.


	5. Chapter 4: Viridian City

Chapter 4: Viridian City

* * *

><p>As soon as we stepped into Pallet Town, Quinton, who had been fiddling with his watch, announced, "Now Route 1 is completely empty."<p>

"Pardon?" Garrett asked

"Eighteen of us are in Viridian City, most congregating around the Moemon Center, and the rest of us are still in Pallet," Quinton explained.

"All of us except Dylan," I replied. I hadn't intended for any bitterness or malice, but Garrett apparently heard some.

"We never talked to him," he explained. "You don't need to feel bad because he lost. It's a game."

"Wasn't a game for his Moemon," said the girl. She had been waiting by the entrance, playing with her Bulbasaur, listening in on our conversation. "Now she's dead, because he didn't know how to keep her alive."

"You had to see who he was fighting," Garrett explained. "He didn't stand a chance."

"He didn't run away," said Quinton. "She's right."

"I know, but I hate how she's always making this out to be the worst, must inhumane thing that we could do!" Garrett nearly shouted.

"You've heard my reasons," the girl replied. "These are humans, and we're treating them like animals, like slaves."

"You should hear them talk," Garrett argued. "Christine loves to fight! She loves nothing but!"

"Fight!" Christine agreed, punching the air. "We fight, we win, we grow, we evolve! It's what we do!"

"If that's all she says, then she's been brainwashed," the girl said with clarity. "I don't blame you for that, but I hope you teach her that fighting isn't anything."

"Sounds like someone doesn't understand us as much as she thinks," said Gloria, folding her arms with a smug smile.

"We haven't been brainwashed," explained Stacy. "And trust me, you will know when Moemon have. It's an awful… awful sight. Christine is just excitable."

"Just a bit silly, if you ask me," said Wendy. We exchanged knowing looks around her.

"You shouldn't judge us without seeing what we can do," Stacy continued. "Your Bulbasaur. What's her name?"

"I haven't given her one," the girl replied, almost embarrassed.

"Then give her one. Bond with her. See what she's capable of. Maybe you'll change your mind."

The girl looked at her Bulbasaur, who smiled reassuringly. "I do want to fight," her Bulbasaur said. "We haven't been kidnapped or brainwashed or forced into fighting. We just fight, because it's fun. Because we have to become stronger."

She continued to look at her Bulbasaur. We were standing around her, waiting for her decision, before she said, "Please leave us alone. We should talk."

"She's stronger than you think," said Melody, quietly.

We left for the center of Pallet, where the same group of students who had sought instruction was seemingly preparing for their journey. Mr. McDonald was sitting on a swing, watching the students with anticipation. When he saw us coming, with six Moemon in tow, he got to his feet and clapped his hands.

"What can I do for you?" He asked.

"Some of us got injured. We were wondering if you could heal them," we explained.

He frowned and hummed in thought. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to limit your healing to once per team. After that, you're going to have to find a Moemon Center or avoid conflict altogether."

"But that's not fair!" I exclaimed. "That's not how it works in the games!"

"I'm well aware of certain tricks people use in these types of challenges," Mr. McDonald said calmly. "You'll come back to me ad infinitum until I kicked you out or you felt you were at an exceptionally high level. That's not how it will work. Not in Pallet. Nobody else here will heal you for free, so I'm going to push you toward your goal."

"This complicates things," Quinton said.

"We'll still heal this one time," I said. "We should catch up with Max and the others anyway."

"Well, technically my Moemon are at full health, so could I get an IOU for this healing?" Garrett asked, grinning.

"Sure," he said. "Bring me the injured." And the four Moemon walked forward.

Quinton looked around at those getting ready. "How many have decided to go?"

"Everyone except for her," he pointed at the girl with the Bulbasaur.

"Consider me surprised," I said.

"Moemon are special," Mr. McDonald said, spraying Wendy with a potion. "They aren't children in mind, only in body. They have incredible persuasive power, and they can – of course – perform tricks that we can only dream of."

"When you see them, you melt," said Garrett.

"And that's when they strike. Nobody has been safe." Mr. McDonald sprayed the last girl and stood up. "And we're done. Best of luck, you three. I hope to see you again in a few months."

We were about to leave when I thought of something. "Mr. McDonald? What happened to Dylan and his Moemon?"

Mr. McDonald sighed. "His Moemon died, and was likely taken away by something, if you didn't see it in the road. Dylan is back in the classroom, sleeping, waiting for us to wake up."

"He'll be sleeping for months?" Quinton asked.

"No," was his only answer. He smiled knowingly. "Go. You're losing the race."

* * *

><p>As we headed to Route 1, we passed by the girl and her Bulbasaur one last time. We only caught a snippet of their conversation, but it convinced us that she was going to concede:<p>

"And if we go, you promise to be extra careful?" The girl asked.

"Of course! And when you catch more Moemon, I'll protect them too!"

"She didn't have much confidence in herself," said Melody. She had poked out from behind Quinton's hair. "After talking with her Bulbasaur, though, she's growing."

"Sounds like something someone else should do," said Gloria. Melody shrunk in response. She looked aside at Christine and commented, "and growing up is something someone else should do."

Christine stopped and glared at her. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Gloria chuckled. "You can't obsess over fighting forever. You'll lose sight of why you began to fight in the first place."

"Oh yeah? And why did you begin to fight?"

Gloria opened her mouth to speak, but after a second of hesitation she replied, "I'll tell you when you're older."

After a few seconds, Wendy commented, "Well, she's older, so tell her." Gloria responded with an annoyed glare. Wendy hopped over to Jenny, who was starting to fall behind. "Hey, Jenny, what's wrong?"

She mumbled something that only Wendy could hear.

"Well then, hop onto my shoulder," Wendy replied. "I'll carry you until you get bigger!"

Jenny blushed but obliged, and Wendy waddled to catch up to us.

"I could carry you, Jenny," Garrett offered, bending down with his arm stretched out.

"I've got her," Wendy assured him, and Jenny shrugged with a small smile.

"Well, I get her when we battle," Garrett replied. He noticed something off to the side. "Which will be right now."

"Wait, what?" Jenny asked, shocked, as Garrett lifted her up and told Gloria to follow.

"Is her really going to do this?" I asked.

"He needs Gloria to learn confusion," Quinton replied.

We followed him into the trees, where he had stopped a stray Rattata. He sent out Gloria, and then sent out Jenny. However, this allowed the Rattata to tackle Jenny, sending her backward.

"Leech Life!" He shouted, and Jenny started tensing up. The Rattata flinched, and a bubble formed from her skin and was absorbed into Jenny. He repeated the attack, but the Rattata ignored the attack and tackled Jenny. I leaned over Garrett's shoulder to look at his open Moedex and saw that the Rattata was on its last life. He shouted the attack one more time, and the Rattata collapsed, defeated.

"Good chunk of experience," Garrett exclaimed. "A few more of those and we'll get you confusion!"

We looked at the Rattata. "I think I can see movement," I said. I walked over to the girl and checked her pulse. She was breathing steadily, but quickly. "Is she okay?"

"She'll be fine," said Stacy. "I don't know where you got the assumption that all Moemon die when they faint."

"From the rules," I said.

"Might just be you three," replied Stacy. She seemed pretty nonchalant about the prospect of dying, and when I turned to the others I noticed they didn't seem worried either. It was a bit unnerving.

"Then we don't have to worry about grinding," said Quinton. "So long as we choose our fights wisely."

"Load off my conscience," said Garrett, sighing in relief. "So Gloria, Jenny, ready to fight?"

"Ready to let others do the fighting for me?" Gloria corrected. "I guess."

"We should all grind," Quinton offered. He called Melody and Wendy to him and started walking away. "Call if you're in trouble. We'll meet in Viridian."

"Sounds good!" I called, and then looked at Christine and Stacy. "I suppose you two are ready."

Stacy simply nodded, and Christine swiped the ground with her tail, leaving a semicircle of a skid mark. "Ready," she said, grinning confidently.

And then we grinded for a few hours. We searched throughout the forest for Moemon to fight, finding one every twenty minutes or so. The grinding was far more tedious and worrying than in the games, as there were far fewer to find, and many of them were rare Moemon who normally would be found far into the game. Many of them took me a while to recognize and figure out the right counter. The most ridiculous was the Larvitar that must have defeated Dylan, as even I had to run away from it.

Thankfully, my Moemon took very little damage, and I had leveled them up to 8 by the time I reached Viridian. Nearly an entire day had passed, and the sun was setting, and the sky had turned a bright orange. We had eaten one of the sandwiches and were ready to sleep. I checked my watch, and everyone had reached Viridian.

"Hm," I pondered. "Nobody went to talk to us."

"Nobody lost," said Christine. "That must mean something."

"Yes, but few people have two Moemon," I said. I checked the stats. "Some haven't even healed theirs yet, despite being at a Center."

"Must not be aware of the Center," Stacy offered.

"You'd think someone would have told them."

"Only one way to find out," concluded Christine.

We were at the entrance to the city. And, unlike the games, it truly was a city. Several buildings, dozens of stories high, dominated the view. A highway swerved throughout, with hundreds of cars driving without difficulty. Many buildings were densely compacted into small sections, each with one main attraction. The MoeMart, the MoeMon Center, the Training School, the Park, and the Gym. I checked my watch and saw that most of my classmates were in the Center.

"Not often that I'm late," I noted. We walked through the city and, following the map, toward the Center. Opening the door, we found a large congregation of Moemon and students, all joking, exchanging stories, and describing new friends. When people saw us, they welcomed us, and made us take seats in the largest table. When I sat down, a group of Moemon walked along the table and inspected me closely.

"Glad to see everyone's made it," said Andrew. "We were worried about you."

"You could've checked on the watch," I said, pointing to my own.

"Quinton told us that, but by the time he did, you were just entering Viridian," explained Eric.

"He fiddles with the watch a lot," said Hannah.

"Nothing wrong with that," argued Sam. "Best to get knowledge early than wait until you absolutely need it."

"Good to see the Pokemon experts haven't lost their stuff," said Drew, placing his hand on my shoulder.

"Has anyone had any close calls?" I asked.

"Some fish nearly killed my Magmaster," Drew replied. "'Critical hit' it was called."

"Those are evil," agreed Andrew. "My Torchic nearly lost to a Larvitar. I forgot those things existed."

"The Larvitar's the one who beat Dylan," I said.

"Oh yeah, I remember him," said Eric. "He's the guy who never talked, right?"

"Talked to some of us," said Sam.

"Not enough for us to care," said Jacob. He was checking his watch. "Mind if I tell them what you nicknamed yours?"

I didn't see why not, and I told him so. It was the way that he announced their names that angered me. It was a smug, sarcastic announcement where he deliberately paused after both names to shake his head in pseudo disappointment. The others laughed, and had his act not been completely unnecessary and deliberate then I would have laughed as well, but my Moemon weren't impressed.

"Do you want to fight?" Christine demanded, jumping onto the table blowing smoke from her nostrils.

"Control her," Jacob said, backing up. "Control your 'Christine'"

Stacy had jumped onto the table as well, and she placed an arm on Christine's shoulder to calm her down. "This is neither the time nor the place."

"It's always time for a fight," said Christine.

"Jacob, apologize," said Drew.

"You've got to be kid-" but a look from Drew silenced him. "Sorry, Christine. Stanley."

"Stacy." She corrected him without sympathy.

"Stacy." Jacob looked at me. "Might see you later." He winked and left.

I was somewhat confused. "Have I ever had a problem with him?" I asked Drew. Drew shrugged in response.

"If you can't remember, then I can't," he replied.

After that incident, the mood shifted, and conversations were less enjoyable. I spoke with Max, Garrett, and Quinton about their accomplishments. Max had unfortunately beaten his first encountered Moemon before he could catch it, and his Trapinch had barely been leveled. Gloria had finally learned Confusion and was bragging to Christine that now she could win in a fight. Quinton had leveled his Moemon to ten, and was already planning his next move.

Garang worried me. He was the center of attention, as usual, but his Oshawott looked nervous and tired. I checked her status in the Moedex and determined that she hadn't been healed, yet. She had grown a level, but she was in the red, and somehow paralyzed. I went over the list to see that many of them hadn't been healed.

"Guys!" I shouted. "You need to learn this!" The room quieted and looked at me. "If your Moemon haven't been healed, take them to the counter. They'll heal them."

"Oh," said Garang, looking at Olivia. "I forgot. Sorry." He led many people to the counter, and that was one problem solved.

"Garang, how many balls do you have?" I asked. "And I mean Moeballs." I pulled out one as an example.

He grinned as I clarified. "I have one, which belongs to Olivia, here." I handed him another.

"Next time you enter a Route, weaken a Moemon and then throw this at it."

"Alright, thanks," Garang grinned. He patted Olivia on her head, and she smiled at me and thanked me as well.

"Be careful," I couldn't help myself. Garang was a nice guy, but he didn't take things seriously enough. I thought a while about what I would do, and then spoke to Garang again: "Is it alright if I travel with you, tomorrow?"

"Sure thing," he said. "Where did you plan on heading?"

I pointed to the left. "Route 22 is where we can catch another Moemon. I'd like to help you."

"You sound like you don't think I can handle myself," he said.

"Would you hate me if I said you were right?"

He thought a moment, and then shook his head. "I might need some pointers. I'll take them whenever you think I need them."

And it was decided. I told Garrett and Quinton to do whatever they'd like tomorrow, but they had planned on going to Route 22 anyway. After a few trips around the Center, it was decided that the four of us would go to Route 22. Many people wanted to join us, mostly for Garang, but we convinced them that having too many people in a group would make it difficult to catch Moemon. I still don't think they cared too much; they were enjoying the journey too much. Couldn't blame them. I was enjoying it too.

I didn't know that the next day would be so tragic.


	6. Chapter 5: Route 22

Chapter 5: Route 22

* * *

><p>As the day ended, saying goodbye to our classmates, the four of us went down to a nearby motel – a small, but cozy building – which cost us only one hundred yen (which is what I'm assuming the currency is called, considering the games use the yen's icon) per room. Inside, we began giving Garang tips on how to survive in the game.<p>

And by we, I mean Quinton.

"Whenever you think you should switch," was his most important rule. "Or you're worried about your Moemon, or you have any other reason to switch, then switch. If you feel you have to run away, then run away."

"You should tell him about Olivia's strengths and weaknesses."

"They're not many, I'm sure," Olivia said, watching us with the other Moemon on the only bed in the room.

"Rock, ground, and fire," Quinton said. "More than most."

Olivia smiled. "You're just saying that."

"It's more than Gloria," Christine replied, with a mischievous glance at the Ralts. "You should be proud of that."

Gloria glared at her. "I'll take that as a compliment." Christine stuck her tongue out in response.

"Those two really like each other," Garang noticed. He had been smiling throughout our explanation, and I couldn't help but feel like much of it would be forgotten by morning.

"They're sisters," Garrett explained. "Deep down, they love each other."

"I'll love her when lizards fly!" Gloria exclaimed in disgust.

Christine grinned at this statement. "Ten in thirty levels, you'll love me!"

"Tell her you'll love her when Pokemon wear dresses," I said.

"We're Moemon," Gloria stated. "And some of us already wear dresses!"

"She'll get it when she's older," I said, smiling.

"You tell her," Christine said, giving me a thumbs-up.

"So, what should I catch?" Garang asked.

"Something which can make up for Olivia's weaknesses," Quinton explained. He looked over at Olivia and saw she looked hurt, and recovered: "What few there are. Something to resist grass and electric. A grass would be perfect."

"Then we'll search until we find one," Garang said. "You'll help me catch it, right?"

"That's why we're here," said Garrett.

* * *

><p>The next day, we woke up fairly early in the morning, and we ate breakfast at the Center with some of the others. Checking his watch, Quinton noticed that Drew's crew had already entered Route 22, and one of them had caught a Spheal, and Jacob had caught a Diglett. And he named it something I hope I'll never have to say.<p>

When Quinton pointed it out to us, we shook our heads in disgust. "Does he not care about them?" Garrett asked.

"Maybe he thinks he's being funny," I said.

"It's not something I would do," said Garang. "But is it really such a big deal?"

"It's fine to name them like that in the games," I explained. "Even if it is immature. But would you name your children that?"

"Might be a nickname if he got me really angry," Garang replied.

"They're going to be miserable if they figure out what those words mean," Quinton said.

Continuing with the fiddling, we noticed that a few had already started toward Viridian Forest, completely skipping Route 22. The rest were asleep. The four in Route 22 seemed to be resting on the ledge that, in the games, had very little purpose.

We finished our meal and departed from the city's west entrance, traveling through a large, open field which tightened to a thin path, with large trees forming a barrier. They were too thick to travel through, so we were forced to keep to the path, which weaved and turned, until we reached a fork. The left path was bricked and had a sign stating "DEAD END", while the right lead to the exact place we wanted. We turned right and walked into another large field containing a forest of long, thick grass.

Garang, Moeball in hand and Olivia on shoulder, stepped forward. "Should I just go in there?"

We shrugged. "Might as well," said Garrett, pushing him closer to the grass.

Garang looked at Olivia and asked, "Are you ready?"

Olivia nodded. "Let's get ourselves a partner."

Garang took two steps toward the grass, and was tackled by a creature immediately. It jumped onto Olivia, grabbed her, and carried her onto the ground. Garang was so surprised that he stumbled backward, crashing into us and sending us to the ground.

"You alright?" I asked, picking Garang up.

"Olivia!" Garang shouted. "Where are you?"

"Here!" Olivia shouted, a few feet away, struggling to keep a girl wearing a beige suit covered in fur and a tail and a hat complete with furry ears from biting her. "Water gun?"

"Water gun!" Garang agreed, running over to them. Olivia sprayed a blast of water onto the Mankey and forced her into the air. She landed on her feet a few feet away and shook the water off. "Water gun again!"

"Garang, your Moedex!" Quinton shouted.

Garang got out his Moedex, and we rushed to his shoulder to see their health. Olivia had taken a bit of damage, but the Mankey's health was half gone by the end of the second water gun. The Mankey jumped at Olivia and kicked her, sending her backward. Olivia managed to stay on her feet, but it was a Critical Hit. She had very little health left.

"Moeball," Garrett said. "You don't have enough time!"

I was gripping Garang's shoulder with my life, watching Olivia struggle to move as the Mankey charged for one last attack. Garang pulled out his Moeball and threw it, catching the Mankey in midair. He took the opportunity to grab Olivia and pull her to safety, as we all watched the ball shake. After a few shakes, we heard a crack. The ball opened, and the Mankey appeared in a white light.

"Did it work?" Garang asked, stepping closer. "Did I catch you?" The Mankey looked at Garang for a few seconds, shook her head, and jumped at him, aiming for the exposed Olivia. Garang noticed and turned away, attempting to run, when the Mankey kicked him in the back, and sending him to the ground. Olivia tumbled away, unmoving, and the Mankey looked at her. She walked over to her, cracking her knuckles threateningly.

Before she could reach, another ball shot through the air and collided with her head, forcing her again into the ball. While she struggled, we helped Garang to his feet and picked up Olivia. After a few seconds, the ball stopped moving.

…and I had caught her. I walked forward and picked up the ball. I looked at it, and then at Garang, and handed it over to him. He looked at the ball and shook his head.

"You caught it, man, not me," he said. "Consider it thanks for saving her." Olivia seemed to be sleeping. Garang double checked her health and saw she had two.

"Two hit points," said Garrett, shaking his head. "That was far too close.

"Call her back to her ball," Quinton advised. "It's not safe for her. Not with so few."

Garang nodded, got out her ball, and pressed the button in the center. Olivia transformed into a faint, red light, and warped into the ball.

"You know," said Christine, looking at me in annoyance. "We could have stopped her, had you just given the word."

"I panicked," I explained. "I was thinking on my feet, and I didn't think you could get there in time."

She responded by blowing a ball of fire onto the ground in front of her, and then she stomped it out and looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"At least your trainer did something," said Gloria, looking at Garrett accusingly. "My trainer would have watched her die."

"Easy, there," said Stacy, stepping between them. "Watch what you say, Gloria. You don't realize what you're implying."

Gloria kicked the ground. "Sorry," she muttered.

Garang placed Olivia's Moeball into his pocket. "Can we go back to Viridian?" He asked. "We need to heal."

"Garrett and I haven't made our catches," said Quinton. "Can we wait until then?"

Garang nodded. "If you could make it quick, though."

"We only need one," said Garrett. He and Quinton stepped into the grass, and then Garang and I followed. We kept our Moemon close, as the grass was too thick, and we almost lost each other several times. Sorry, I lied. Eventually, we did lose Quinton and Garrett, and we spent several minutes trying to find them. Finally, we heard Garrett scream in victory, and we rushed toward where his voice came from. We found him holding a Moeball in the air and grinning widely.

"A Houndour!" He exclaimed. "Can you believe it? A Houndour!" I told him I couldn't believe it, so he threw the ball onto the ground, and a girl wearing a bone-like helmet on her messy, black hair, shoulder pads which also appeared to be made of bone, red spiked gloves, and a black skirt. She looked at Garrett, and then at me, and growled.

"Watch it," Garrett said, pointing at the Houndour. "He's a friend. Don't attack."

The Houndour glanced at Garrett, her fang-like teeth bared, ready to strike, but she stopped growling. "Can't blame me for being annoyed. Do you know what I'm going to look like to the others?" She demanded. "Caught! By some no-name trainer! I'm never going to get respect again!"

Garrett was taken aback. "Sorry about that, I guess," he said. "I don't know how to help you, though."

"Even if you release me, it's too late," she said, maintaining the angry look, but losing the confidence. She looked to the forest and shook her head. "I'll stay with you."

"And you think my Moemon are interesting?" I asked, nudging Garrett. "She's a feisty one."

"What'll you call your Mankey?" he asked. "I'll probably call her-"

"Call me 'Harvester of Death'," she interrupted. "Maybe I'll make a name for myself, then."

Garrett looked at her defiantly. "You know what? I'll call her 'Hope'."

"What?" She shouted, almost charging at him. "You'd call me something as pathetic as that?"

"Stop insulting him, please," Jenny said quietly.

"You don't have to be afraid of her," said Gloria. "You are the one who defeated her, after all."

Hope walked up to Gloria and got within an inch of her. "And what about you, Ms. I'm-going-to-get-beaten-because-I'm-a-pathetic-psychic-type? Are you afraid of me?"

"I'm three levels higher than you," said Gloria, admiring her hands. "Of course not."

Hope raised her arm to strike, when we heard another call. Garrett called Hope back into her ball, picked up Gloria and Jenny, and followed me and Garang to where Quinton was standing. Wendy was sitting on the sidelines, cheering on Melody, who was at half health. She was fighting a little Teddiursa, dressed in a brown teddy costume, who was currently yawning.

"Nice to see you," he said, noticing our arrival. "Melody, Take Down!"

Melody charged at the Teddyursa like a missile, coming too quickly for her to dodge. The direct impact took out most of the bear's health, and Quinton followed by throwing a Moeball.

However, before the ball could collide with the Moemon, the Teddyursa was shot in the back by a blast of water. The water propelled her forward and took out the rest of her health, and the ball bounced away harmlessly.

"Who did that?" Quinton shouted in a voice mixed with anger and disappointment. He looked around for the source.

We heard cackling from above, and looking upward we saw Jacob laughing hysterically, with his Squirtle looking at us apologetically.

"Looks like you lost your catch!" He announced joyfully. He was sitting on a ledge, his feet dangling over the side. "Sorry about that! My Spitter just couldn't hold it in. You probably don't know how girls are, but that's how girls are."

I saw a grey blur pass to my eyes, darting straight up to Jacob. Jacob noticed Stacy hovering right beside him and stopped laughing.

"Go away," he said, trying to shoo her away. She persisted, however, and grabbed Jacob by the feet and started pulling.

"Hey! Hey!" He shouted. "What're you doing? Spitter, spit on her!" He was holding onto the ledge with both arms, having nearly been pulled off by Stacy. His Squirtle, however, merely watched as he let go and dangled helplessly several feet off the ground.

"What should I do?" She asked, turning to me.

"How is she holding onto him?" Garrett asked. "Drop him!"

"Arthur?" She clarified.

"Let him down, gently," I said. She seemed to shrug and floated gently to the ground. But, she had a change of heart and lifted him a few feet off the ground. And then she dropped him.

"Little birdy bitch," He grumbled. He pulled out two Moeballs. "Go WindBlower!" He shouted, calling out his Pidgey.

And I'm sorry for this, Sis. Cover your ears, or something.

"And go DickandBalls!" He called out his Diglett. "Do you want to go?" He looked at me, and then at Stacy.

"Not really," I said. "Stacy doesn't like you, I guess."

"And I hate her," he replied. His Squirtle had walked down to him. "And, Arthur, because she's yours, I hate you."

"Oh no," whispered Garang. "Arthur, what are you doing?"

"I don't even know," I replied. Christine and Stacy had moved in front of me, and Jacob's Moemon had moved in front of him. It was a standoff where I was afraid of what could happen. "Let's just leave."

"No, no," said Jacob, wagging his finger. "I think what your bird did was a challenge. I think it's only fair to accept."

Quinton checked his watch. "Unfortunately, Arthur, I think he's right. And if you run away from a trainer battle, you forfeit the competition."

"Where does it say that?" I demanded, storming over to him and grabbing his wrist. In another app, labeled 'Contest Rules', was that particular rule. "Even with other competitors?"

"So, we fight, or you lose," Jacob said. He patted his Squirtle on the head. "I'd hate to say that you don't have a choice, Arthur, but you don't have a choice."

I looked at Christine. "We can do it," she said, pumping her fist and grinning.

And at Stacy. "We believe in you," she replied.

I looked at the Moeball in my hand, shrugged, and said, "Better now than never." I threw it into the air, and the Mankey appeared. She stiffened, looked around, saw me, and shook her head.

"What do you want?" She asked. "I was enjoying the quiet." I pointed behind her, and when she looked, she punched her fist. "So, a battle?"

"Right, but come over here, Mandy," I said, kneeling down with a potion in hand.

She paused. "You mean, Mankey, right?"

"I mean Mandy, now get healed."

"I don't like that name," she said, but she came over anyway. I sprayed her with the potion, and she slightly shook the moisture off. "But I'll fight for you."

"Oh, you have three of them," Jacob noted. "You ready?"

I walked over to Quinton. "How are my chances?"

Quinton smiled. "Let's make it a surprise," he said.

I didn't. "I hope that's a good thing."

I walked back to Jacob, sighed, and replied, "As ready as I'll ever be."

Jacob's friends had come down to watch the battle, and were standing behind Jacob. Mine were standing behind me. And our Moemon were between us, preparing to battle.

"Spitter," Jacob said, and we all paused, silently waiting for his next word. He had crossed his arms and was grinning confidently. "Water gun."


	7. Chapter 6: Jacob

Chapter 6: Jacob

* * *

><p>Jacob was a tall, older-looking boy, who wore black more often than not. Today, he had been preparing for something important, as he was wearing a fancy, blue shirt and nice black pants. His black coat and red tie had been tossed aside, leaving him looking messy. At the time, I didn't understand why he disliked me. Both of my Moemon had antagonized him – I understood that - but he did the same to them before he had even seen them. But, now I know why he disliked me, and this knowledge hasn't changed a thing.<p>

His Squirtle lurched backward, mouth full, and then fired a geyser of water at Christine, who dodged before I could command her. She landed behind Mandy, who pushed her even farther.

"Hello, partner," she said, seemingly unfazed by the entire dilemma.

"We aren't partners," Mandy replied, keeping her eyes on all three opponents and tensing.

"Nonsense-" Christine began, but the Pidgey had tackled, coming toward her from out of nowhere. Mandy pulled her aside, but she managed to swipe the bird with her tail, forcing it to lose control and bounce against the dirt. "We're under the same trainer. We're partners!"

"You're a nuisance," Mandy replied, moving quickly to jump onto the Pidgey. The Pidgey got to its feet and flew to safety. "You'll get in my way."

In response, Christine moved right in front of her. "Do you think I care?"

In response, Mandy let her take a direct hit from the Pidgey, who had flown in a circle and crashed into her. "Maybe slightly."

Christine and the Pidgey bounced together, stopping at Stacy's feet. Stacy had been dodging water guns from the Squirtle and occasionally pecking the Diglett. She had whittled the ground Moemon's health down so much that she was forced to burrow into her hole. When I checked the Dex, she was in the red, but Jacob refused to call her back. In fact, he didn't have his Dex out at all. Nor his watch.

"Jacob," I called. "Where's your stuff?"

"Like I'll tell you!" He replied.

"He lost it," Drew announced. Jacob responded by giving him the bird.

Stacy flew over to the others and whispered, "Take down the Diglett."

Christine looked around. "I don't see it."

"It's underground. Listen for it. Find it. And defeat it."

"Water gun!" Jacob shouted, interrupting their conversation. The trio dodged aside as the geyser rocketed between them. "Now sprinkler!" And the Squirtle maintained the blast while slowly turning, chasing Mandy.

Stacy attempted a sneak attack on the Squirtle, but she was blocked by the Pidgey, who tackled her aside and caused them to fly into the air for a duel.

Christine was also attempting an attack, but she felt the ground rumble beneath her. She jumped away just in time to avoid the Diglett's scratch. She recovered, ran over to the Diglett, and Embered onto it, and the Diglett retreated.

I couldn't do anything. The girls were handling the battle better than I could command. I was watching Jacob, who had come to a similar realization. However, while I was confident in my Moemon, he was gradually growing more nervous. With each attack, he looked tempted to call one of them back or issue an order, but the only one who he felt comfortable with commanding was his Squirtle.

"Water gun!" He shouted. The Squirtle obliged by turning off the "sprinkler", looking at Mandy, and firing another blast. "Water gun until you hit it!"

Mandy had been jumping and flipping in order to stay out of the way of the blasts, but with each dodge she grew closer and closer to the Squirtle. The Squirtle noticed this, and she started to back away. She bumped into Jacob, who kicked her forward in disgust. She lurched forward, and her water gun angled toward the ground, the resulting force of which propelled her backward and onto her back. Mandy took the opportunity to jump into the air and slam onto her chest.

"Critical hit," she said, smirking, as the Squirtle coughed blood. She followed it up with several jabs to various parts of the girl's body. It took a tackle from the Diglett to get her to stop. Mandy skidded across the ground and grabbed the Diglett by the scruff of her neck.

"Stop, Mandy," I said, but I hesitated to call her back to her ball.

"Get that beast away from my Pokemon!" Jacob shouted in horror. Mandy responded by raring her fist back and punching the Diglett in the head and then punting her back toward her master.

Before Jacob could react, we were all startled by an object from the sky crashing to the earth at Jacob's feet. Stacy landed safely on my side, and my three Moemon stood, victorious.

I checked the Moedex. All three of Jacob's Moemon had lost all of their health. He had no more usable Moemon.

Jacob looked down at his three Moemon, and then at me in horror, and opened his mouth to say something. But before he could, he fainted, collapsed, and seemed to illuminate.

"What's he doing?" Drew asked. "Arthur? What did you do?"

"He brought it upon himself," Mandy replied. "Calling me a beast."

Jacob had turned completely luminescent, and the light was too bright for anyone to watch. We shielded our eyes, and when the light had ended, he had disappeared. Our watches flashed red, and Jacob's name appeared as "29th place". Similarly, Jacob's Moemon had disappeared as well, leaving only the crushed earth of Diglett and Pidgey and specks of blood of Squirtle.

Drew walked forward. "You really beat him," he said, shaking his head. "You know this means I'm going to have to challenge you, right?"

"We can take him!" Christine shouted. Mandy nodded in agreement.

"Drew, please," I said, shaking my head. "Don't do this."

Drew grinned. "I'm kidding. Although I may have to avenge Jacob, I'll do it later." He shrugged. "I'll admit, I'm scared of your Moemon."

"You should be," said Mandy.

I looked back at the others. "We should go," I said. I waved to Drew. "Meet you later?"

Drew shrugged. "Depends. Good luck."

I paused. "Actually, do you know why Jacob was so angry at me yesterday?"

Drew chuckled. "I might have let slip that you slept with his sister. He might have taken it seriously."

"Oh…" I said. I didn't know how to feel. "Well, never do it again."

"Or he'll sic us on you," said Mandy, baring her teeth greedily.

As we left the Route, my friends congratulated me on my victory. "Do you feel guilty?" Garrett asked.

"He challenged me," I answered. "He should have known what he was getting into."

"About the Moemon," Garrett clarified, and I nodded.

"Shame you couldn't catch your bear," Garang said to Quinton.

"There will be plenty of opportunities," Quinton replied.

"Besides, we wouldn't want to share him," said Wendy. "Right, Melody?"

"I guess," Melody replied.

"I have to admit," said Mandy, who had been dancing around and gloating about our victory since the battle. "I picked a good team to get stuck on."

"And all it took was a smack on the head," said Christine.

Garang acted as if he hadn't heard, but I saw him glance at Olivia's ball. I wondered what I would have done had I not caught Mandy. If I hadn't gotten an equally aggressive Moemon, could I have beaten Jacob? Mandy was at a fairly high level at this point in the game, so her ability to handle herself in the battle should have been expected. But I couldn't help thinking: What if?

"Mandy shouldn't even have Karate Chop at this low level," noted Quinton.

"Are you saying that we can't do this?" She asked, flattening our hand and swiping it in the air. "Until we grow up? What world did you come from?"

"A different one," said Garrett. "Maybe they weren't actual Karate Chops, but spontaneous versions which don't do as much damage."

"That would make sense, I suppose," said Quinton.

"So, what're your name?" Mandy asked, noticing Hope for the first time.

Hope growled, blushed slightly, and replied, "Harbinger of Destruction."

"Oh, don't lie, Hope," Garrett said.

Hope growled at Garrett, and then at Mandy when she laughed. "Hope?" Mandy asked in disbelief. "That's a threatening name. I'd better back off."

Hope grabbed Mandy by the collar. "Do you want to fight?"

"What is with our Moemon and wanting to fight?" Garrett sighed.

"Must be a fire thing," I replied. "And Mandy's fighting typing should be self explanatory."

Garang stepped between the pair. "We're on the same team. You're just going to have to accept teasing."

"It's a challenge," Hope replied. "I don't even want this stupid name."

"Least my Trainer knows how to name his Moemon," Mandy replied, snickering.

"Can we please move off this subject?" Jenny asked. "Check on how the others are doing, please. I don't want to see us fight."

"We're just playing," said Wendy, placing a hand on Jenny. "They won't actually fight each other."

"They're not nearly that stupid," Gloria added.

"Debatable," the pair said simultaneously, and they glared at each other after their realization. They walked apart in a huff.

Soon, we arrived in Viridian City, and we healed at the Center. Olivia came out of her ball, stretched, and looked at our new partners in amazement.

"Hi!" She said happily. "I'm Olivia!" She stretched her arm out.

Mandy grinned and shook. "Mandy," she said, and she pointed at Hope, who had turned away. "And this here's Hope."

"That's a beautiful name," said Olivia, walking to Hope. "It's great to meet you."

"Be nice," warned Garrett, watching over the pair.

Hope looked at her Trainer, and then shook Olivia's hand begrudgingly.

Olivia turned to Garang. "So what happened while I was sleeping?"

"Arthur won a battle, and we got these two," Garang replied. "You didn't miss much."

Olivia's eyes widened and she looked again at Mandy. "Wait, you're the Mankey who attacked me?"

Mandy grinned guiltily and scratched her head. "Yeah, sorry about that."

Olivia took a step back. "It's fine, I guess. You really hurt me, though."

"We're all on the same team," Mandy replied defensively.

"Oh, are we?" Christine asked, walking up to her.

"We fought great, back there," Mandy replied, starting to talk excitedly. "Of course, we are!"

"Wish I could have seen it," Olivia sighed.

"You'll see plenty more battles," Garang assured her. "In fact, we were going to leave now, right?"

Quinton checked his watch. "Around noon. We should eat, and then we'll leave."

And we did just that. An hour later, we had left the City's North entrance and were heading through Route 2. Our – what is it by this point? Nine – Moemon trailing us, resting on shoulders or in arms, or scouting ahead of us, essentially acting like the children they were. The Route, except for a large grouping of suspiciously cuttable trees to our right, was fairly empty, containing a few houses which we skipped and a brick road. The sky was clear, bright, and blue as far as the eye could see. Despite this, we were relatively silent, occasionally joking about school or our situation or teasing our Moemon. But, it was a very relaxing experience, and I'm glad nothing happened.

Until we got to the lone patch of grass in the route, and the four of us grew excited.

"We have enough balls to last us through this Route and Viridian Forest," said Quinton, taking inventory. "With only one chance of failure. Then, we'll have to restock at Pewter, and then go through the second half of Route 2." He showed us on the list that Route 2 had been split into two areas.

"Sounds like a plan," I said. "Get ready to catch several bug Pokemon."

"What's wrong with bugs?" Jenny asked, feigning insult.

"You know we love you, Jenny," said Garrett.

"Garang, you'll do us the honor," I said, gesturing toward the patch. Garang nodded, grabbed a ball, and walked into the grass. After a few seconds, he ran out, with a Surskit in tow. "Water gun!" He shouted, and Olivia blasted a spout of water at the Surskit who took little damage. The Surskit responded with a bubble, which did even less damage.

"Just wear it down," Quinton recommended. "Wear it into the red, and you have it."

It took many turns, but Garang finally wore it to just above the red. Olivia had barely taken any damage, and the Surskit was exhausted.

"One more?" Garang asked.

"Go for it," I said. "Better safe than sorry."

Garang nodded. "Water gun!"

Olivia nodded, but as she lurched her head back, mouth full of water, she seemed to twitch. As she fired, she blew forward with far more ferocity than usual, and the water hit the Surskit with such force that is shot through the poor girl.

"Critical Hit," Olivia said, sputtering and coughing, "I'm sorry."

Garang walked over to her and picked her up. "Not your fault," he said. "I should've caught it. I'm sorry."

Garrett walked over to the Surskit's body and felt her pulse. "She isn't breathing," he whispered.

"I have the worst luck with these," Garang said, grinning at us. "Your turn, Quinton."

"You'll get your chance," Quinton assured him, as he circled around the patch. "We have two more opportunities, and now we have an extra ball."

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Searching. I'd rather not go in the center. Too little room to maneuver."

"More Moemon to find in the center," was my argument.

"Maybe," he replied. "We don't seem to find swarms of them in the center, so it's doubtful they're always there."

"I'll check the center," said Garrett. "Gloria, can you sense anything?"

"I can sense a bad attitude, but nothing else," Gloria replied.

"Was that really necessary?" Jenny asked, backing away in case of another argument.

"Make jokes," said Hope after a false laugh. "We'll see where that gets you, Psychic type."

"What'll you do?" Gloria taunted. "Bite me?"

"I'll bite you so hard, you'll feel it for years."

"Found one," Garrett called, and his Moemon immediately jumped into the grass.

"So, what'll we do?" Mandy asked, stretching. "Dive right into the action and save them from trouble?"

I started fiddling with my watch. "We'll let them have their fun. We've had enough action, today."

I felt a tap at the side of my head, and turned to see Stacy pointing at something in the trees. I walked over curiously and found a small girl wearing a green caterpillar suit and scrunching along the ground near a tree.

"It's not action," said Stacy. "But she has no Trainer."

The Caterpie saw me coming and backed away into the trees. I held out the ball and said, quietly, "Would you like to join us?"

"If you say no, we may have to force you," Mandy added, admiring her hands nonchalantly. I glared at her, but she took no notice. Nevertheless, the Caterpie waddled out and stood upright.

"Okay," it said. I tapped it on the head with the ball, and it went in. Nice and simple.

"That was easy," Christine said. "I'm somewhat disappointed."

"We know, you wanted a fight," I said.

"I'm more disappointed it was a Caterpie," said Mandy. "Those things don't last long in the wild."

"Good thing we're not the wild," I said, thinking about a name. Just then, Hope came out of the grass looking grimly satisfied, and so I started thinking about unusual, yet meaningful names.

Then it hit me. "Beauty," I said, looking at the ball. "We'll call her Beauty."

* * *

><p>Arthur:<p>

Christine the Charmander

Stacy the Starly

Mandy the Mankey

Beauty the Caterpie

Garrett:

Gloria the Ralts

Jenny the Joltik

Hope the Houndour

Quinton:

Melody the Beldum

Wendy the Wooper


	8. Chapter 7: Beauty

Chapter 7: Beauty

* * *

><p>At the entrance to Viridian Forest, the four of us met and exchanged catches. My Beauty looked pathetically tiny compared to everyone else, and I was glad that I had chosen such a motivational name. Meanwhile, Quinton had finally caught a third Moemon: Brianna the Shroomish. And Garrett had caught Veela the Venonat.<p>

"Veela," I replied, after hearing her name. Veela had red, wide, diamond-like eyes and was wearing a purple shirt which seemed to cover up most of her arms, leaving only her hands to poke through its small holes. On top of her purple hair were two pink antennae.

"I like the name," said Garrett defensively. "It's exotic."

I turned to Brianna, who was wearing the Shroomish's head as a hat and what appeared to be green pajamas, as they covered her entire body except for her face.

"She'll come in handy," I said.

"Brelooms are fantastic attackers," Quinton said. "But, for now, Brock and Misty won't stand a chance."

We had checked the status of our classmates earlier. Some had begun the journey through Route 2, and many were in various parts of the forest. For example, Eric, the person in the lead, had three Moemon, and he was looking to fight the gym leader. It was amazing how much information the watches gave us, as we were able to rank the order of each Moemon's death. Twenty captured Moemon had been lost so far. Six of whom were lost in this forest to something new players would deem unavoidable.

"Seven," said Quinton, sighing, as we counted supplies. "Hannah's Pichu."

"Her starter?" I asked. "Oh, that's horrible."

"We have three antidotes," said Quinton. "And eight potions. We're going to have to take this carefully."

"I don't have any Moemon who resist poison," I said. "Unlike Veela and Melody."

For clarification, many of our classmates had had Moemon of very low level; there were many who still had Moemon at level 2. Our lowest level – my Beauty – was five, so already we were at a good start. As we prepared, Garrett had been training his Moemon to Quinton's recommended level of eight, a point which Quinton had already achieved.

"This will be our toughest challenge yet," I said. "Is it bad that Weedles of all things might be the ones to end our journey?"

"It isn't only Weedles," said Quinton. "Two have been lost to Venipede, one to a Budew, and one to a trainer's Pidgeotto. This forest is terrible at this point in the game, especially for our team."

"It's horrible," I clarified, taking Quinton's not-answer as that response. "Are we finally ready?"

Quinton replied in a low voice, "You could have been training Beauty, you know. Garrett has the highest levels of all of us, now."

I looked at her Moeball. "I don't think I'm going to use her." She was playing with the others, and she was too far away to hear. "I'll keep her until I catch a good team, but I don't think a Butterfree would be useful."

"It's a Nuzlocke," Quinton replied. "You don't have much choice. And even if you did, Butterfrees can be effective if you use them right."

I shook my head. "I don't believe that."

He shrugged. "You never know." He got to his feet and called out, "Get ready to enter the forest! We're all set!"

Garrett jumped up the ledge to use. "So, what's our status?"

"Not enough," Quinton replied. "We'll have to move quickly but carefully."

After the others had gathered, Quinton instructed them to stay close and protect each other. If they felt injured, they would warn us so that we could help them.

As we entered, we noticed that Garang was looking more nervous than usual.

"Garang, we'll let you know which ones you can fight," said Quinton. "We'll direct you away from all poison types."

Garang whispered, "How many more Pokemon can I catch?"

"Two," Quinton replied.

"I need help, guys. A lot of it."

"We'll help you," assured Garrett. "Calm yourself."

"Everyone," I announced, holding my arms out. "Trouble."

A boy was standing at the side of the path, leaning against a tree, tossing a ball into the air and catching it. He was wearing a straw hat and shorts and was grinning at us.

"First trainer," Quinton said.

"Second," I reminded him.

Quinton walked forward. "Let us pass."

"You should know that's not how it works," he said in a nasally voice. "I gotta battle you. So, who's first?"

Quinton shrugged and called Melody to him. When he saw the steel arm on Melody's head, his grin faltered, and he stiffened.

"Just because you have a Beldum, doesn't mean you'll win." He threw a ball into the air, and a Moemon similar to my Beauty appeared.

"Shouldn't be too hard," he said, smiling at Melody. Melody nodded and floated off his shoulder. "Take down!" He commanded, and Melody shot at the Caterpie. The Caterpie attempted to fire a webbing to slow her down, but she was traveling too quickly for it to be effective. As they collided, Quinton announced, "One hit Knock Out!"

The boy grimaced, called back his Caterpie, and pulled out a Weedle. Similar in size to the Caterpie, only with a different textured costume, a horn on its head, and brown coloring instead of green, the Weedle took another Take Down with similar results.

Finally, he threw out another Caterpie, which met the same fate as the first. "Darn it!" He pulled out some yellow crystals. "Everyone wait. I have to heal. I'll battle the rest of you soon."

But, we walked right past him. He shouted, "Hey!" As we disappeared from sight, but we didn't care. It would have taken too much time and would have been too repetitive.

We had walked into the grass by this point, and we were scanning our surroundings for movement. After a while, Gloria pointed in a random direction, and told Garrett to follow. Soon after, Melody did the same for Quinton, leaving Garang and I to discern our environment on our own.

"I don't suppose and of yours can do that," Garang joked, as he and I stood back to back.

"Nope," was my honest reply. "Although Stacy could start searching."

"No need," She replied, flapping her wings several feet above my head. She pointed, sacrificing some height, in front of Garang. "There's a catch."

Garang readied his Moeball and I turned around to see a girl wearing a green seed-like suit and a yellow crown-like object on her head.

"I demand that you leave our property at once!" She looked behind her, and then stepped forward.

"Grass type," I said, noting her color. "Tackle her."

"Do what?" Garang responded in confusion.

"You do have Tackle, right?"

He checked his dex. "Well son of a gun, looks like I do!"

I sighed. "Well that could've helped with Surskit. Anyway, anyway! Use tackle and bring her down!"

As Garang commanded Olivia to tackle, the Budew closed her eyes and concentrated, and Olivia started to twitch.

"What's going on," she moaned.

"Absorb," I said. Olivia's HP was draining quickly.

"Fight it!" Garang shouted. "Tackle her!"

Olivia ran forward, head bowed, and rammed into the Budew. The Budew toppled backward and rolled to a stop, its health now equal to Olivia. Olivia charged for another tackle but, upside down, the Budew focused another Absorb. Olivia was hit, and she dropped to the ground, continuing to twitch.

Garang couldn't wait, and he threw the ball. Budew was hit in the head, but she wasn't weak enough; after a long struggle in which Garang had run over to Olivia to pick her up, the Budew escaped from the ball. Garang ran back.

"I can't do it," he said. "Olivia can't take it." He looked pained, but he was holding Olivia closely. "Take care of her."

"Garang, if you don't catch her," I began.

Garang shook his head. "Olivia can't take more. I can't risk it." As he said this, Olivia twitched visibly in his arms.

"I'll take care of her," I said, stepping forward. "Christine!"

Christine stepped in front of me, claws ready. "Tell me when." The Budew saw her new opponent and took a step back.

"Now."

Christine leapt forward, grabbed the Budew by her leg, scratched her leg, and threw her in front of me. I threw a ball, and it hit her head. She struggled inside, but after that last attack and the damage she already received, she couldn't break free of this one. The ball clicked, and the light dimmed.

Garang chuckled. "Next time, you weaken it, so I can catch it."

As I walked over to the tree to pick up the ball, I heard whispers in the forest. I glanced around and saw several pairs of eyes watching me, and seemed to hear a collective gasp and a scatter when I picked the ball up. I walked back thoroughly disturbed, and threw the ball at the ground. The Budew appeared in front of me, searched around, and seemed disappointed when she saw me.

"You- you caught me, didn't you?" She asked. I nodded, and she shook her head. "Please release me. I have a family and friends."

Mandy walked up to her, hands on hips, looking at her smugly. "Then why didn't they help you?"

"I- I said I'd protect them-" She began, but she shook her head. "I have to protect them! Release me! I command you!"

Christine walked over and took the crown off her head. "Is this what I think it is?"

The Budew blushed, and she tried to grab it from the taller Christine, who held it above her head. "Yes, that is a Sun Stone. Now, hand it over. It signifies my royalty."

"We have ourselves a queen, here," said Mandy. "Well, nice to meet you. Glad to have such prestige here with us commoners."

"No need for the sarcasm, Mandy," said Stacy. "And give it back."

"Stop being mean," said Beauty, as I picked her up.

Christine handed the Sun Stone back and Mandy apologized. We introduced ourselves, and when we had finished, Garrett and Quinton walked out of the forest.

"Got a Pineco," said Quinton, happily. "Named her Flora."

"Got a deer," said Garrett. "I have no idea what it is, or who she evolves into, but I'll call her Debbie."

As Quinton explained to Garrett about Deerling and Sawsbuck, I dropped to my knees and asked the Budew if anyone called her by anything.

The Budew blushed, glanced at Mandy, and replied, "They called me Princess." When I asked her to clarify, she replied, "I found the Sun Stone one day, and wore it on my head, and they called me Princess. I wasn't born into royalty."

"So you don't have a name," I said. "Well, let's be practical. We'll call you Rose."

"Princess Rose," Mandy said. "Well, it could be worse."

And soon, it was. Our watches flashed red. Zack – someone who I rarely spoke to – had lost just ahead of us. To a trainer. With several weedle. From poison.

"Oh yeah," said Garrett. "I used one of our antidotes on a weedle. Those things are lucky."

* * *

><p>We continued onward, speaking with each other, comparing Moemon, occasionally battling a non-poison creature, and destroying the three trainers we saw with superior levels and typing. We had to use a potion and an antidote, leaving us with only one of the latter.<p>

Unfortunately, I'm not too subtle, and I bet you can see where this is going, Sis. We came upon the trainer, with faded splotches of blood scattered on the ground.

"What did you do?" Garrett asked in horror.

The trainer looked nervous. "It's never happened before. I've caused Moemon to faint because of poison, but never to bleed."

"I think we should stop him before he kills someone else," I said, stepping forward.

"I don't want to battle!" The trainer replied, backing away. "I just want to get to Pewter."

I shook my head and called Christine to my side. "I'm afraid that I'm going to have to stop your rampage."

"Oh no," the trainer moaned. Nevertheless, he got out his first Weedle. "Poison sting!"

The poison darts shot out of the weedle's horn and at Christine, who took them without suffering their side effect. She ran up to the weedle and breathed a powerful ember, but the weedle held on with little health and poisoned Christine with a direct attack. I called Christine back, but she walked back with a limp.

The trainer pulled out another Weedle as I healed Christine with our last antidote. As I did this, I heard Quinton muttering incoherently behind me. Christine repeated her ember, and to my dismay, the weedle survived. Christine suffered the same poison, and as I called her back after she defeated the weedle, I struggled what to do.

"He has two more," I said. "And Christine's poisoned."

"I'm fine," Christine replied. "Let me back in."

"I'm keeping you out of the fight until we get to the Center," I replied. I looked at the others. Rose couldn't be affected by poison, but Stacy could easily one-shot the weedles. Mandy would take little damage from the poison, and Beauty…

…Beauty had waddled into the action. I could sense where this was going.

"Beauty, get back," I said. "You haven't fought, yet."

She turned around defiantly. "I want to fight! I want to prove myself!" She waddled quickly up to the weedle and took a poison sting to the stomach. She took damage, but didn't poison. She hit the weedle, doing little damage. So she hit her again, and again, each time getting rid of a small amount of health but giving her no time to charge a poison sting. She got the weedle down to a sliver of health, backed up, and tripped.

"Beauty!" I shouted, readying her ball. The weedle got to her feet and seemed to tower above her. She jumped onto Beauty, held her down, and poisoned her, to the head. Beauty tried to recoil in pain, but she couldn't move. She opened her mouth and spat a glob of string shot onto the weedle's face, blinding her and forcing her to move. Beauty finished her off with a tackle and waddled back to me. She fell, and I ran over to grab her.

"Rose, take on the last one," I said. "We can't risk three poisoned Moemon."

Rose's battle took a long time, but she took very little damage and defeated the last remaining weedle with no trouble. The trainer looked horrified at my two poisoned Moemon, and he sputtered an apology.

The trouble was that poison didn't work like it did in the games; it worked on a time-basis and not a movement-basis. Because Rose's fight took so long, both of my Moemon had lost a lot of their health. I was already forced to use a potion on Beauty, but that didn't cure her poison.

"How far are we?" I asked. "From the exit?" I was holding Beauty and Christine in my arms and couldn't look for myself.

Quinton looked at his watch. "Nearly there. Just have to make this last U-turn, face the last trainer, and we'll be home free."

"You take on the trainer," I said. "I can't risk it. I might have to run past."

"We won't feel bad," Garrett assured me. "Just keep them alive."

We ran through the U-turn and down the last stretch of path. Garrett ran ahead to distract the waiting trainer, while I sprinted through the grass. I exited the Forest, into the waiting area, while several people looked at me in confusion as I burst through the doors and exited into the sunlight, which blinded me and nearly caused me to stumble. There was a bright, clear, brick path which led away from the grass, and I ran down that path.

Along the way, I encountered a few classmates who were resting on the path, enjoying their victory. They tried to stop me, but I was running too quickly to stop. Both of my Moemon had lost most of their health, and looking into my bag via the watch, I only saw one potion. I stopped, searched for the potion and held it out, while both Moemon seemed to sleep uncomfortably below me. They didn't have much time – not with the health they had. I…

I had to make a choice…

…Beauty was a strong Moemon. Before I found her, she was the youngest in a family of three, with a father who went missing and a hard-working, proud mother. Her sisters grew up quickly, but her, being the runt of the litter, was always a few steps behind. But she was determined, and tried desperately to catch up whenever he sisters learned a new move. Despite this, she got lost in the forest easily, and one day managed to reach the outside. There, she waited for days in the trees, scavenging on berries and trying not to be seen. She saw many trainers pass by her each day, and she wondered where so many trainers were running off to in such a hurry. She saw a wide variety of Moemon traveling with them, many she didn't even know exist. And then, she saw a young boy and a Starly walk up to the tree where she thought she hid so cleverly, speak to her, and allow her to waddle out of hiding. She felt like that boy had potential, that he would see her to safety, that she would finally make her sisters proud.

…she didn't know how wrong she was.

* * *

><p>Arthur:<p>

Christine the Charmander

Stacy the Starly

Mandy the Mankey

Rose the Budew

Garrett:

Gloria the Ralts

Jenny the Joltik

Hope the Houndour

Veela the Venonat

Debbie the Deerling

Quinton:

Melody the Beldum

Wendy the Wooper

Brianna the Shroomish

Flora the Pineco


	9. Chapter 8: Garang

Chapter 8: Garang

* * *

><p>When my three friends had exited the Forest, they came upon some of our waiting classmates, who had asked them if they had seen me. They told them that I had a few poisoned Moemon and was taking them to the center. And when the spoke, they spoke for many minutes about their adventures. After departing, they headed straight into Pewter City and straight to the center, where I was sitting at a table, holding my two Moemon. They called my name, and I turned around.<p>

In my arms were the happy and healthy Christine, and the resting body of Beauty.

"She didn't make it," I said.

* * *

><p>We buried Beauty outside Viridian Forest, near enough so that her home could be in view, but far away so that others wouldn't be able to notice the grave. We felt that Beauty wouldn't want such attention.<p>

"She proved herself," I said, feeling horrified and guilty. I couldn't even cry, because I felt so terrible. I had made far too many mistakes. Catching her was one, battling the trainer was another. I didn't even know what I was thinking when I challenged him. Or why I let Beauty battle in the first place. I did want her to shine, even if I wasn't going to use her later in the game. But this? Death? That was not what she deserved.

The others tried comforting me, and I let them, but I shook my head when they told me it wasn't my fault. "How could it not be?" I asked. They couldn't answer. "I'm the trainer. I know their strengths and weaknesses. I knew Caterpies didn't have much health, especially at her level, and that weedles could poison with unnatural accuracy. I didn't stop her, guys. I should have, and she suffered for it."

"Don't feel bad," said Christine, placing her hand on my leg. "We know you did all you could."

I couldn't tell Christine that I had sacrificed Beauty to save her. I didn't want… I didn't need her to feel as guilty as I did. Even if she wouldn't be able to understand, I wouldn't risk it.

To make matters worse, as many of our classmates had reached Pewter, some had already opened the gym's doors. As a result, at that moment, our watches flashed red. Another of our classmates, one who challenged the gym with a Cyndaquil, Metapod, and Hoothoot, had fallen to the gym leader.

Now we all felt bad. "We have to warn everyone," said Quinton, getting his watch ready.

"Warn about what?" Garang asked.

"You don't have to worry about it, since you have a water type," Quinton replied. "But many of these people lost or never caught water and grass types. Or they're far too underleveled."

"Warn them," agreed Garrett. "See how many listen."

Not many, as it turns out. Quinton had called everyone while we trained in the patch of grass outside Pewter. In the coming hours, four others, Andrew and Hannah included, had lost to Brock. Only one person had managed to beat Brock, and that came at a loss of half of his Moemon. Quinton had wanted to meet with him, so we stopped our training and found Eric at the center.

"Team isn't much different from in the game," said Eric, his Snivy standing proudly on his shoulder. "He has a – I think it's called a Boldore – at around level 16, but other than that, his team's the same."

"So how'd you lose the Moemon you did," Quinton asked.

"When you called me, I decided to buy some potions at the store. When Sarah, here, had taken too much damage, I called her back and let my Rachel – Rattata – and Georgia – Magikarp – fall to allow her to get the final hit."

"Sorry to hear that," said Garang, patting Eric on the back. "But you won, so congratulations."

Quinton was checking Eric's levels. "I'd recommend grinding some more," he said. "I think you were underleveled for the fight, even without the Boldore. Grind to level 16, and you should be fine until Cerulean."

"Thanks for the advice," said Eric. "And good luck with your battle."

After exiting the center, Garang seemed excited and nervous. When I asked him how he felt, he responded, "Eric's in first place, and I thought we were doing so well. We have to catch up. I say we fight Brock now."

We all shook our heads. "We haven't trained enough. And, Garang, you still only have Olivia."

Garang's eyes dropped. After we had buried Beauty and gone into the grass, Garang's first sighted Moemon was an Abra. As can be expected, the Abra teleported before Garang could throw the ball. Meanwhile, my first sight was a Caterpie, and as we apparently couldn't catch duplicates (I tried throwing the ball, but the ball wouldn't open for her), I was taking on Brock with my four. Quinton had had equal luck, as his first was a Shroomish. Garrett, however, had found his sixth Moemon: A Petilil, which he predictably named Lily.

"A full team," Quinton had said admirably. "You're the first."

Garrett had grinned. "Don't worry, guys, I've got this game won!"

But, exiting the center, Garang replied that he felt confident in Olivia's ability. "She's got water gun," he justified. "You can't lose with that."

"Tell that to Cindy," said Quinton. Cindy was one of the four who had lost to Brock, and she had had a Piplup. In fact, to further Quinton's argument, I was tempted to say that another one of the four had had a Totodile.

However, Garang had replied, "But I've been with you guys. I know how to battle. And Olivia's a higher level. She's at the recommended level of 15."

"Just two more levels, and she evolves," said Quinton. "Just wait that long, wait until tomorrow, and then you two will beat Brock easily."

Garang seemed to pout. "I'll think about it." He walked off.

It was getting late, and the three of us headed to the Center to meet with the survivors. Eight of us had lost so far, and it was obvious that there was less excitement in the air. Especially considering some of us were still at Viridian City, and a few in the Forest itself. So, half of us were there. Most of us were congratulating Eric and listening to his stories, but a few had wanted to hear about my battle with Jacob, and the reasons for fighting.

When Drew had explained, he got a large laugh from the crowd. But, I quickly described the fight, emphasizing that I hadn't lost any Moemon, while Jacob had lost all of his. This description got me some praise and respect, but it didn't last too long, as Eric's tale was far more relevant. He described the moves that Brock used, his Moemon. Quinton clarified with recommended weaknesses and strategies. Some people didn't have his recommended types, and they were worried until Quinton told them that severe level grinding would solve many problems, even if it took a long time.

"It is a race," said Sam. "We can't spend too much time in one place."

"It's a long race," Quinton replied. "Just because we reached Pewter in two days doesn't mean the rest of the journey will be this short.

"I somewhat hope it ends soon," said Sam. "I lost too many Pokemon in that forest."

Others, including myself, nodded their heads in agreement.

"Trouble is," said Molly, one of Drew's friends. "We're going to lose even more to these gym leaders, unless we get lucky with catches."

"Yeah, how many of us actually have a grass or a water type?" Drew asked. Several of us raised our hands, but we were clearly the minority.

"They say it's a race, but we should be enjoying ourselves," said Max. "Look where we are! Kanto! Why are we rushing?"

"Eric, you're leading, but when do you plan on leaving?" Drew asked.

Eric thought for a moment. "In a few days. I do want to explore this city. I never got to look at Viridian."

"None of us did," Max continued. "We were too busy trying to get to this city. And now we're here, and we've all lost friends because we tried to rush. This isn't going to last forever, so let's make the most of it."

I said nothing. I agreed with Max, but I did want to win the race, to explore Kanto as quickly as possible. Quinton was fiddling with his watch, and when he came upon something he grabbed my shoulder.

"Let go," I said painfully. "What's wrong?"

"Garang," he said. There was a dot inside the Pewter gym. He and I looked at each other, and without a word leapt from the table and sprinted out the door.

We ran through the empty city until we reached the gym, a gigantic building with a curved, brown roof and a sign declaring it was the "PEWTER CITY GYM". We opened the door and found a battle taking place. The gym itself was fairly empty – there were stands lining the walls and an arena with various sized boulders scattered across – except for four people. Garang, Brock, a referee, and Garang's opponent, a young kid who was frustrated and worried.

Garang was clearly winning, as indicated by Olivia spouting a geyser of water and knocking the trainer's Sandshrew into a rock. He looked confident and proud, and Olivia seemed to be dancing in happiness. Olivia, however, was only level 13, and both of us knew that she may seem strong against the hapless trainer, but not against Brock.

Brock himself looked similar to how he looked in the game: he was wearing a brown vest and cargo pants, and he was looking upon the duel with his arms crossed and a concentrated look upon his face. His eyes seemed permanently closed, yet whenever there was a crash of rock upon rock, Brock seemed to tense.

Quinton and I worked our way over to Garang, seated behind him, waiting for the match to end. After a Diglett had been defeated, the referee held up a green flag and declared Garang the winner. At this moment, Quinton and I jumped down the stands and up to Garang.

"Congratulations," I said, and before he could respond I continued, "Now leave the gym."

"What? Didn't you see us? We're going to win!"

"Not against Brock," Quinton said. "Trust us."

"Good argument," Garang said sarcastically. "Olivia, do you think we can win?" Olivia nodded gleefully. "Well then, sorry guys, but she put up a more convincing one. Now, trust me, we will win."

Quinton and I looked at each other. "Should we stop him?"

"I feel like I'm going to watch a massacre," said Quinton. Nevertheless, we walked back to the stands and awaited the next match.

Brock stepped down from his stand at the top of his staircase, walking slowly down the stairs until he was level with Garang. They faced each other, shook hands, and walked to separate sides of the arena.

"I heard you've lost already," said Garang.

"I'm five and one," was Brock's reply. He had a much deeper voice than I had expected, and he spoke with confidence and composure. "But, I've heard that you only have one Moemon."

"One powerful Moemon," Garang replied without missing a beat. Olivia smiled at him, but he kept his eyes fixed firmly on Brock. "Ready?"

Brock smirked. "Ready." They sent out their first. His Geodude pulled a large rock out of the ground and threw it with surprising strength at Olivia. Olivia, meanwhile, hid behind a larger rock, waited for the sound of crashing rock, and jumped out to land a Water Gun. The Water Gun hit the Geodude with its full blast and knocked her into the ground, where she rolled until she crashed into a boulder. All of its health depleted.

"One down!" Garang announced, pumping his fist into the air.

Brock's expression didn't change as he switched his Geodude with his Onix.

"Wait, what?" Quinton asked, getting to his feet in surprise.

The Onix was the first I'd ever seen: A woman. She wasn't a little girl you'd want as your daughter, she looked like the oldest person in the gym. And the only thing which would signify the Pokemon she was dressed like was a giant rock tail coming out of her head like a ponytail, as she only wore a grey t-shirt and shorts.

Quinton looked at me and whispered. "That is what Moemon look like when they evolve."

"Focus on Garang," I said, although I couldn't help but understand why he said that.

Garang had noticed, however, and he wolf whistled. "Olivia, water gun her! Make her wet!"

Olivia paused as Garang made that last comment, but she committed and sprayed a water gun at the Onix. The Onix whipped her head around, allowing her tail to deflect the majority of the spray. Her tail seemed to have a mind of its own, as it moved without her doing anything, scooping up a rock even larger than the Geodude's and throwing it at Olivia.

Olivia, accustomed to this tactic, once again hid behind the rock. However, it seemed to be taking the strain poorly, as it had cracked severely. Unaware, Garang and Olivia continued their hit and run tactic, until after three more hits the rock shattered, and Olivia took the full blast of the giant rock. She escaped being crushed as the shattering forced her backward, but she took a severe amount of damage.

"Olivia!" Garang shouted, rushing forward.

The referee held out his red flag and shouted, "Stop! Don't touch her, or you forfeit the match!"

"I'll do whatever I want!" Garang shouted, and he picked Olivia up and ran out of the gym. Quinton and I followed, but I turned to Brock to see him shaking his head and calling his Onix back to him.

We left the gym, where we found Garang hunched over by the entrance, holding Olivia closely. Our watches had flashed red, and Garang's name appeared.

"You can't run from a trainer battle," Quinton said sympathetically. "I'm sorry. You two did great."

"It's over for me," said Garang, gritting his teeth. He was looking at me angrily. "But not for her. Arthur, take care of her."

"What?" I asked.

Garang held out Olivia as well as her ball. "Take her to the Champion. Take her to victory, for her and for me." He started to glow. "If I wake up in class and find out she's dead, I'm going to be so angry that…" he didn't speak. He let go of Olivia, forcing me to catch her, and in a flash of blinding light, disappeared.

Olivia, asleep in my arms, rolled over and clutched my shirt. "Is… Is this legal?"

Quinton checked his watch. "According to this, we're allowed a Moemon in Pewter City." He motioned toward the museum. "I guess you missed out on a fossil Moemon, though."

"But… but he just gave me his Moemon. Can we do that?"

"Well, it says that Olivia is now yours, so I'd say he just did."

"Oh, Garang," I muttered. Olivia was starting to wake up, and she flinched in pain.

"Hello, Arthur," she said weakly. "Where's Garang?"

I bit my lip, debating what to tell her. "Garang's going to be away for a while. He told us to look after you until he comes back."

She jerked awake, eyes open, staring right at me. Tears were starting to well. "He ran, didn't he? He ran to save me, and he lost, didn't he?" I couldn't lie. I nodded slowly. She closed her eyes and wept. "I'm so sorry. I let you down. I failed."

"You didn't fail," I said quickly. "Without you, he wouldn't have made it to Pewter. He had confidence in you. That's why he didn't let you fall. He… he wouldn't…" I was starting to tear.

"Arthur will take care of you," said Quinton. "And we'll make Garang's promise come true."

"Wh-what promise?"

"He promised to take you to the League. Well, we're going to do just that."

Olivia looked at me, and then nodded.

Then she cried.

* * *

><p>Arthur:<p>

Christine the Charmander

Stacy the Starly

Mandy the Mankey

Rose the Budew

Olivia the Oshawott

Garrett:

Gloria the Ralts

Jenny the Joltik

Hope the Houndour

Veela the Venonat

Debbie the Deerling

Lily the Petilil

Quinton:

Melody the Beldum

Wendy the Wooper

Brianna the Shroomish

Flora the Pineco


	10. Chapter 9: Pewter City

Chapter 9: Pewter City

* * *

><p>After a while, we left the gym and headed back to the Center, where the others were waiting silently. They saw me holding Olivia in my arms, and though they had questions – for Olivia's sake – they refrained from asking. We walked over to Garrett and Max and sat down.<p>

"She's asleep," I whispered.

"Poor Garang," said Garrett, shaking his head softly. "Poor Olivia."

"She's yours," said Max. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to take her to the League," I said. "I have to. I promised Garang."

"Then take care of her," said Max.

"She's fine, level wise," said Quinton. "Higher than most of his Moemon, anyway."

"You know what I mean," Max said sternly.

"I don't know why Garang attempted it," said Garrett. "Didn't we tell him to wait? He had plenty of time. Eric's not leaving for another few days, so that the rest of us can get our gym badges and stay around the city."

"Not much of a race," Quinton commented.

"We've lost too many by rushing to Pewter," Max explained. "Some of us haven't even gone into the Forest, and so many of them fell in that place. We're waiting for them, giving them a chance to catch up. If they're unaware, we'll tell them to enjoy themselves."

Quinton pointed at his watch. "Why wait? Call them."

Max smacked his forehead. "Right. Forgot about that. Sure, we'll do that. Tell them to get here and beat Brock within a week. Should easily be possible."

"Until then?" I asked.

"We enjoy the city."

"For an entire week?"

"We're in Kanto!" Max repeated. "A week shouldn't even be enough time!"

"We could talk with the Moemon," suggested Garrett. "What about them do you actually know?"

Not much, I admitted to myself. "Well, it's getting late. Find a hotel?"

"Max, are you joining us?" Quinton asked.

Max shook his head. "Maybe tomorrow. I have prior arrangements." He waved goodbye and the three of us left the Center. After reaching a hotel and booking a room, we moved the room's furniture aside and congregated in the center. We introduced our new teammate and vaguely explained what had happened to Garang.

"That's horrible!" Debbie cried. The Deerling had shown to be a sensitive, caring girl. She was wearing a pink dress, complete with a fuzzy tail; her head was adorned with a yellow flower a headband with two large, pink ears attached.

Olivia nodded. I suppose since I neglected to describe her earlier, Olivia wore a light-blue skirt with a detachable shell on the front and a dark blue tail, as well as what appeared to be a brown bandage across her nose. On top of her snow-white hair were two dark blue, pointed ears.

"At least he fell with honor," said Stacy, perched on the bedpost. "There's no other way to go."

"He went down fighting," agreed Mandy. "Best you could hope for."

Olivia smiled modestly. "He was a great trainer. I hope I make him proud."

I patted her gently on the back. "You'll make everyone proud."

"So, we decided that because there are so many of us," said Garrett, clapping his hands. "We'd get to know each other better. Is there anything anyone would like to say?"

Mandy immediately hopped forward, into the center of the circle, and bowed as some of us clapped. "I just have to say that I'm sorry for beating you so badly, Olivia, and that I think it's awesome that you're on our team!" She gave Olivia a thumbs up and a wink. Olivia shook her head and smiled.

"I forgive you, if you'll take it." Mandy responded by walking up to her and giving her a hug.

Rose came forward. "I'd also like to apologize. I realize I wasn't going to kill you, but the beating we faced warrants it."

"All is forgiven," Olivia replied. "We're partners now. We'll make up for it by looking after each other."

"Now that's what I like to hear!" Wendy announced. "Love this teamwork vibe I'm getting."

I noticed Hope had been looking away with a look of disgust on her face. "So, Hope, how do you feel about our teamwork vibe?"

"You just won't leave me alone," Hope muttered. She looked around and noticed everyone was watching her, many with grins on their faces. "Well, I don't like any of you, but I have to respect you after watching you fight. Some, I feel shouldn't be on this team, and I'd love for someone to ask."

Gloria stepped forward, smirking. "Who?"

Hope shook her head. "I know you want me to say you, but I can't deny your power." She refused to look anyone in the eye. "Gloria, you piss me off, but I respect you. Can we leave it at that?"

"Don't antagonize her, Gloria," warned Garrett.

"Besides," added Hope, shrugging innocently. "I know Gloria couldn't even touch me in a fight, so it's not like I have anything to fear."

Gloria dropped the smirk, and peace keeper Flora the Pineco stepped forward. To say that Flora was a giant pinecone would be an accurate statement. Except for her hands, feet, and eyes, her entire body was covered in a Pineco costume, without the Pokemon's signature eyes.

But, she meant business. When she stood between them, her pinecone shape blocking them from each other's view, they stepped down and pouted. "Now girls," she said. "You wouldn't want to annoy Garrett with your bickering, would you?"

"I'm sure he could handle it," Hope replied.

"He's a grown boy," Gloria agreed. "Bit of bickering never hurt anyone."

"Well," said Wendy in contemplation. "You could say it hurt Jacob."

Many of them were looking at each other in confusion. I decided to briefly explain. "Before we met some of you, there was a… friend… of ours who fought these three-" I pointed out the heroes. "-and they won."

"She's right, I suppose," said Stacy.

"Even more proof," said Flora, sitting down. "Don't bicker."

"Does anyone have anything about themselves they'd like to say?" Quinton asked.

Our Moemon said nothing. They looked away, accidentally making eye contact with each other and looking further away. It was strange. The three of us looked at each other.

"Are we supposed to be suspicious?" Garrett asked.

"Oh, no, no," said Jenny quickly. "We just… don't like talking about ourselves."

"Well, that's boring," said Garrett.

"It's mysterious," I said, thinking. "Although I'm not sure if I like it."

"They'll tell us when they're ready," said Quinton. "Why pursue?"

"Because I want to know who I'm traveling with," said Garrett. He sighed in defeat. "But fine. When they're ready."

"What level should we train to?" I asked.

"For you and I: sixteen," he said. "For Garrett, fifteen will be fine."

"Why the higher level?" I asked.

"I have less Moemon," Quinton said. "So the four of mine should be as high as reasonably possible. For you: Stacy and Christine."

I looked at them, and they looked right back. They seemed to be thinking the same that I was: they were going to evolve soon. Their eyes shone with anticipation. Christine had a wide grin.

"Although, I suppose if you wanted Olivia to evolve as well, you could train to seventeen," Quinton added.

"Oh, no, it's fine," said Olivia. "We can wait."

I shook my head. "Seventeen it is," I said.

* * *

><p>The next day, I awoke in excitement. Next to me, already wide awake, sat Stacy, staring out the window. I patted her head and asked, "Ready to evolve?"<p>

She didn't look at me, but I saw her head nod. "I'm ready to be stronger."

I chuckled. "You're already strong." She shook her head. "After you beat Jacob's pidgey? How could you shake your head?"

She sighed, and her head dropped. "It's personal."

I looked aside. "Well, then know that I think you're strong."

Christine had awoken by this point, and she had climbed over me and sat by Stacy. "We'll find him," she whispered. "Don't worry." Stacy placed her head on Christine's shoulder, and Christine patted it comfortably.

"It's been weeks, Christine," whispered Stacy. "It's been far too long."

"We'll evolve, soon," Christine assured her. "It won't be long now."

I lay quietly, watching them curiously. They were mentioning things I hadn't even heard before. There were so many questioned that I wanted to ask, but I couldn't ask. There was an invisible wall separating us, keeping us from trusting each other. I felt like I was being used so that they could gain what they wanted, like they were caught only because I could help them. It felt… wrong… so I set my head on the pillow and tried to get a few hours sleep.

A few hours later, after I succeeded in getting no sleep whatsoever, we finished our meal and went through the city. Unlike Viridian, which was cluttered and appeared to be rising in height as opposed to area, Pewter was closer to Pallet Town in layout. There were large stretches of flat plain, broken up by the occasional house or shop, and the gym was in an easily reachable place: the center of the city. In front of the gym was a large park in which many children played, and the sign shone even through the sunny sky.

We reached Route 2, and I checked my dex for the twentieth time that hour. I checked the same thing: Stacy. Stacy had been level 13, and – as I infuriatingly discovered at breakfast – was only a few experience points from leveling up. Why had I not battled one last time last night?

Stacy hopped from my shoulder and stepped cautiously into the grass. "Take it slow," I said. "Only one more battle."

Quinton hushed me. "Stop it," he said. "She can handle it."

I had realized, but my heart was beating faster than hers was. She tiptoed around the edge, peering in the center, searching with her keen eyes for prey. In an instant, she tensed, jumped into the air, and rocketed at a spot in the grass. There was a scuffle, a large amount of dirt was picked up, and a body was thrown away. Stacy jumped out of the grass and dusted her dress off.

"How much left?" She asked calmly.

I looked. "Negative two points," I said, grinning. "Welcome to level 14."

She blinked and looked down at her hands, stretching her fingers out as far as possible and examining them. "Disappointing," she muttered. "I don't feel any dif-" and then she exploded in a white, blinding light. We shielded our eyes from the blast and waited for the light to subside.

And there she stood. She had grown at least ten years, looking to be in her mid-teens. Her dress changed, being more detailed with various frills and laces and jewelry sewed on, ending just above her knees. Her boots had been replaced with yellow sneakers, and she now wore black stockings. She had grown in height, now reaching to my chest, and her hair – though as a child had been curled up similar to Starly – had now dropped to below her shoulders. Her wings had grown in size as well, but they looked far less awkward on this teenager than the child.

"Now do you feel different?" asked Christine.

"Very," she said, and we all started at her new voice.

"I like it," said Garrett. "I do want to know how your clothes changed."

Stacy shrugged. "Mind if I test?"

"Go for it," I said, more proud at seeing this than doing anything in the games. Stacy stepped aside, crouched, and rocketed into the air, soaring smoothly, near majestically through the sky. She looped, corkscrewed, fell into a steep nose dive and pulling out just above our heads, forcing us to drop to the ground in fear. She hovered, flapping her wings with far less effort, grinning happier than I had ever seen her.

She dropped gently to the ground and ran up to us. "I feel fantastic!" She said in ecstasy. "Evolution, girls, you have to try this!"

"Me next!" said Christine, hopping in place.

"It's getting late," I said teasingly. "Maybe we should stop for the day."

"Noooo!" Christine said, tugging my leg impatiently. "I want to evolve!"

I sighed dramatically. "Okay, if you insist."

"Stop teasing," she replied, seeing through my clever façade. "Or I'll burn you!"

I dropped to my knees. "Whoa, there. If you burn me, you'll be put in the box."

I had said this as a joke, of course referring to the PC box in the Center, but the reaction was not what I had expected. Christine paled, and began to tear. The other Moemon were looking at me in horror and fear, glancing at each other silently. Even Stacy stepped back, shaking her head and closing her eyes.

"I, uh, guess the box is a bad thing," I said awkwardly. "Sorry. Christine, I wouldn't do that to you."

Christine shook her head. "I don't want to evolve now," she muttered.

I bit my lip. "Help?" I asked to the pair standing behind me. Garrett shrugged, and Quinton seemed to be communicating with Melody.

He walked over and whispered, "The box is like a prison to the Moemon, a place where the failures go because their Trainers don't want them. It's taboo to mention it."

"Well, that doesn't seem logical," I said. "What about newcomers to full teams? They get sent to the box automatically, and they shouldn't be considered failures."

"If they aren't on a team or in the wild, if they're in a confined space alone, then they might as well be."

"This place isn't that cruel," I argued. "If they're in the box, they have to go somewhere. Like, in the cartoon, when they're sent to Oak's lab. Doesn't that happen in this world?"

Quinton seemed to ask Melody the same question, and after a while he responded, "Years upon years of theft. There are some people in this world who would stop at nothing to get the strongest team, and that could mean the murder of these girls."

"Cruel people," said Garrett, after walking up to us. "Who would that remind you of?"

I shook my head in dismay. "We'll find out soon," I said. I was, of course, referring to Team Rocket.

* * *

><p>Arthur:<p>

Christine the Charmander

Stacy the Staravia

Mandy the Mankey

Rose the Budew

Olivia the Oshawott

Garrett:

Gloria the Ralts

Jenny the Joltik

Hope the Houndour

Veela the Venonat

Debbie the Deerling

Lily the Petilil

Quinton:

Melody the Beldum

Wendy the Wooper

Brianna the Shroomish

Flora the Pineco


	11. Chapter 10: Pewter Gym

Chapter 10: Pewter Gym

* * *

><p>We decided to take a break after that conversation, to allow everyone to forget what I had said. I can't explain my embarrassment, my shame. I didn't know how horrible the PC could be; I couldn't have known. But to see all of those girls look at me in terror, to see Christine nearly cry – the first time I had ever seen her come close – was something I couldn't get out of my mind.<p>

We spent an hour eating, resting, and bragging to the others about Stacy. She got a lot of compliments – from the boys, of course – but we noticed she wasn't the only one getting attention. People who had caught Moemon in the forest, those who evolved at level 10, had grown into women. They got most of the attention. Stacy didn't mind. In fact, whenever she got a compliment she would turn a tinge of red, nod, smile, and say nothing. It was odd seeing her change from such glee to such calmness in such a short time.

After the hour, we regrouped at Pewter City's exit, preparing for training. It was a long, dull process in which we were vastly overleveled. The shock of evolution had passed, so I no longer felt excit-

I'm lying, of course. I couldn't wait to see how Christine and Olivia evolved.

Well, Christine evolved first, and when she turned 16 she jumped away from her fallen opponent and hopped in place, grinning at me excitedly.

"This is going to be sweet!" She cried. "Promise me you'll still love me after I evolve."

"He'll probably love you more," said Garrett. I pushed him aside and told Christine not to worry.

And then she exploded. Her hoodie turned a dark shade of red, with a large yellow spot covering most of her lower stomach, and she had lowered its hood, revealing a short ponytail of fiery red hair. She now had red shoes and red fingerless gloves. The flame on the tip of her tail had tripled in size. She grew older and taller, around eighteen, and a head taller than Stacy.

When her transformation had completed, she looked at her hands, stretched her gloves, and then looked at me and smirked. "Now, we're going to kick some ass."

She noticed Gloria had scoffed and turned to her. "I know who to start with."

"Hey, hey, pick on someone your own size!" Gloria said, grinning. "Or, you could wait until I evolve."

"Better hurry. I'm already blazing ahead."

"Now for Olivia," I said, turning to the Moemon in question. She had been admiring Christine enviously, and she nodded calmly when I mentioned her.

Not too long after, she reached her evolution level. I thought of nothing but Garang as she evolved, hoping that I was holding up my promise. Almost everything about her had changed as the explosion subsided. Her shoulder-length hair, for instance, was now light blue, and her skirt had two shells at her thighs in sheathe-like positions. Instead of a bandage on her nose, she now wore two white V-shaped whiskers by her red nose. She now wore grey sandals and grey gloves. And a new smile.

As an Oshawott, Olivia seemed fairly modest, timid if not unconfident, seemingly in another world after Garang's sacrifice. Now, however, she looked at herself with the same mixture of excitement and anticipation that the other two had. She also looked confident and had a fire in her eye not unlike Christine's.

"I did it," she whispered. "I did it for you, Garang."

"We have three women here," said Mandy, hopping forward. "Look out, Brock, because we're coming for you and your badge!"

"Congratulations," said Rose, bowing. "All three of you. I hope to follow suit."

"Now, we go for Brock, right?" Christine asked, turning to me.

"Well, we're at the recommended level," I said. "Although, we haven't really looked around Pewter."

"We can do that at any time," argued Mandy, climbing onto my shoulder and looking me straight in the eye, feigning dismay. "Why should we look around the city when we can get a badge and get to the next town!"

"One step at a time," said Stacy. "Let Arthur decide, Mandy."

"You don't care because you're not going to fight," said Mandy. "The rest of us are, and we want to now."

"Majority rules," said Olivia, grinning slyly. "We fight Brock now."

I turned to Quinton and Garrett, who were looking at me in amusement. "I'm losing control," I said, half-seriously. "What should I do?"

"They want to fight, then let them fight," said Garrett. "In fact, I was thinking of fighting as well."

Quinton thought a moment. "I suppose I'll be fighting soon as well. We don't have to leave, but we can get one obstacle out of the way, so that we don't have anything hovering over our shoulder."

As he said this, Mandy stood on my shoulder and was looking down at me. "Can I help you?" I asked.

"If you let us fight today, yes," Mandy said, smiling.

I sighed. "Seems I have little choice in the matter. I suppose we'll fight Brock today."

And at this, I felt something ram into my back and knock me to the ground. Turning over, I saw that all five of my Moemon were smothering me in happiness. After a long hug, they got me to my feet and started chatting excitedly with each other about the upcoming fight. They walked away without us, taking the others' Moemon with them, leaving the three of us watching them in confusion.

"They're strange, aren't they?" I said, smiling despite myself. "But adorable."

Quinton was tapping his chin in thought. "There's something about them that worries me. I can't determine it, yet, but there is something there."

Garrett, however, looked guilty. "I wish you hadn't mentioned the PC," he said.

"Why's that?"

"I have a full team," he explained. "Three of similar types. I'm going to box one, if not more, of them after this fight, so that my team improves. To know that the PC is more like a prison than a hospital makes this so much worse."

He was biting his lower lip, and that told me the extent of the turmoil he was fighting inside. He felt strong about this, strong enough to contemplate whether the safety of the team –strength in variety, covering each other's weaknesses – was worth their happiness – ensuring that all get a shot at glory. It wasn't something either of us had to worry about, yet, but I couldn't help feel that he was reacting a bit prematurely.

"Wait until you catch a seventh," I said. "Who knows? Maybe you won't…" I paused, realizing what I was implying. Garrett understood as well, and he shook his head disappointingly, walking off without a comment.

I swore and spit at the ground, cursing myself for my inability to remain quiet. Quinton watched me, but he didn't say a word, and I think that made it worse. I stood for a while, attacking myself mentally for what I said, but switching to strategy when I remembered the brunt of my Moemons' manipulation. Quinton had long since left me, so I walked through the quiet city alone.

I arrived at the Center to a large amount of cheering and congratulations. Everyone – including the stragglers in the Forest, since they arrived that afternoon – wished me luck in my upcoming battle.

"I told them," said Garrett, who had forgiven me and was happily swallowing his meal. "Of course, your Moemon told them first, but I confirmed."

"They won't stop talking about their excitement," said Drew.

"Their enthusiasm is amazing, though," said Sam.

"I do wonder why you're battling so soon," said Max. "You're not going to take a break?"

"We will, after we beat the gym," I explained. "But, like Eric, I suppose we want to get the battle out of the way. One less burden."

"Smart thinking, but you probably haven't touched the city," said Nick – the final man of Drew's quartet. "You don't want us to think that you're going to sneak ahead of us, do you?"

"Why so suspicious?" was my retort, as I pointed at my watch. "You can track me, so there's no trickery. The battle with Brock is simply one less thing I'd want to worry about."

"Besides, his Moemon talked him into it," Garrett chimed in. "He couldn't resist their charm!"

"They had him pinned down," agreed Quinton, sharing Garrett's large, hammy grin. "He had no choice."

"That was after I agreed," I said defensively. "Where are they, anyway?"

Garrett pointed behind his back. "With the others."

As I walked over to the pair, Garrett added, "I'm going first."

"Why's that?"

"I want to."

"Good reasoning," said Quinton. "You can go next, Arthur."

"Sure, sure," I said. I made a motion to walk to the other room, but Garrett stopped me.

"I already broke the news to them. They're heartbroken, but I'm sure they'll manage."

I was suspicious as to why Garrett wouldn't let me talk to them, but then he continued: "I'm not mad at you for what you say. You weren't thinking. You do that a lot. But don't say something like that again, okay? I don't want any of them to fall, today."

"I understand," I said, nodding my head furiously. "I wasn't thinking; you're right. I wish you the best of luck."

Garrett nodded, and he let me past.

* * *

><p>At the Pewter Gym, Garrett led our procession through the main doors. The referee leaning against a pole at the Gym's entrance saw our group, gasped, and widened his eyes beyond comprehension.<p>

"What is this?" He asked, trembling slightly. "A riot?"

"A riot?" repeated Garrett, widening his arms. "This is an audience."

"Glad to see my gym has attracted such attention," said Brock, stepping down from his platform. "I suppose this means I have challengers."

"Three of us," said Garrett. "We have some friends to avenge."

Brock noticed Quinton and me standing beside Garrett and nodded. "I defeated six yesterday," he said. "Would all of them be the avenged?" Garrett nodded. "Well, let's not let vengeance get in the way of this challenge. I simply want a good fight."

Brock walked up to us and held out his hand. "The rules of this gym are simple: You face my protégé, and then you face me. Each challenge must do this. No shortcuts."

"Wouldn't imagine taking a short cut," said Garrett. "Let's get this started."

"Eager, willing, and able," said Brock, turning and waving his hand. "Jerry, test their Moemon."

The trainer from before stepped down from his spot in the stands and walked up to us. His boyish face was grinning brightly, and he greeted us all happily.

"So," he said, pulling out two Moeballs. "Who's up first?"

Garrett waved his hand and stepped forward. His Moemon were crowded around his feet, looking around the gym in awe. Jerry nodded and walked to the other end of the arena, and the referee reached the center.

"Decide on the terms," the referee called.

"Two versus two?" Jerry offered.

Garrett nodded. "Let's make it a double battle; give these guys something to see."

Jerry nodded, and he sent out his Sandshrew and Diglett. The pair looked shaken and confused, especially when the audience – which had settled itself in the bleachers – began cheering. Garrett, meanwhile, sent out Lily and Hope.

"Garrett!" Quinton called. "Hope is a fire type!"

"I'm aware," Garrett replied. "She insisted."

Hope growled, spitting out a small flame. "As if I'd let some type advantage get in the way of kicking some ass!"

"She's quite the spunky one!" Garrett called.

The referee swiped his hands down – each containing a flag colored red and green respectively – and the four Moemon prepared their attacks. The ground Moemon did what was expected and dug deep into the earth, shielding themselves from attack. Hope and Lily stood their ground, backing up into each other to cover all angles.

"It'll be from below," said Hope. "Near us, if not directly below us."

"I believe I can predict their movement," replied Lily calmly.

"Then do it."

Lily responded by pushing Hope aside, jumping away herself, then pressing her arms forward, pointing at where she once was, and shutting her eyes in concentration. She surrounded herself in a faint, green aura, which seemed to shoot out like a rope at her target. That target was the Sandshrew, who had unearthed herself where Lily had jumped. The Sandshrew started to convulse and dropped to the ground in agitation, and Lily seemed strengthened: her aura brightened.

Hope, meanwhile, had sensed the Diglett, and had led her away from Lily to keep her concentration.

"Come out, little mole," said Hope tauntingly, punching a rock. "You wouldn't want me to come down there for you."

She then sensed, or heard, or felt something, because she dove immediately at the ground, punching through the earth and pulling out the Diglett, who was struggling pathetically to escape. Hope burnt the Diglett with a small ember, and then threw her back at her trainer. This action was followed by the Sandshrew flying at the same place.

"Too easy!" taunted Hope, as Lily walked next to her. "Leader, send us a challenge!"

Brock said nothing, but he walked down to Jerry, patted him reassuringly on the shoulder, and took his place. Garrett called Hope back, leaving Lily alone.

"She's strong," said Brock, motioning toward Lily. "It's rare that I see a Moemon who has learned Mega Drain at such a low level."

"She's my ace," said Garrett. "She'll take your entire team down."

Lily turned around to face Garrett, practically beaming. "I won't let you down!"

Brock threw a ball, and his Geodude appeared. The Geodude kicked the ground, sending pellets flying toward Lily. Lily tilted slightly, and the pellets soared past. She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows.

"That mustn't be your best," she sighed. "Or this shall be a disappointing fight."

The Geodude remained silent, choosing instead to pull a chunk of a nearby rock out and throw it at the girl. Lily dove aside to dodge, but she did so excitingly.

"This, my friend," she said, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "Will be exciting." She calmed down immediately, concentrating on her open palm, and leaned out of cover to point her palm at the Geodude. The Geodude started to twitch, and she stopped hovering. Lily's aura grew stronger, and she got the confidence to step out of hiding and walk toward her opponent. She pushed the other palm at the Geodude, and held both arms until the Geodude stopped convulsing and fainted.

"You aren't even giving us a chance," Brock joked. "I'll fix that."

And then he threw out his Onix, and the woman stood several feet above Lily.

"Fall back," warned Garrett. "Get into cover, and then hit her with a Mega Drain."

Lily complied, but as she charged up her Mega Drain, Brock called out his order: "Bide."

"Lily, stop!" Garrett called, but Lily was concentrating too hard to hear. She fired her Mega Drain, and the Onix twitched and clutched her sides, but she did not fall. Checking the dex, we noticed that she had removed less than half of Onix's health. It was going to take three hits.

Garrett noticed, and he saw he had no choice but to continue the assault. "Hit it with another one!" He called.

The Onix fell to her knees this time, clutching her stomach and shaking her rocky tail to fight off the pain. As Garrett called for a final Mega Drain, Brock did the unthinkable. He ran forward, dodged the tail multiple times, and put a spray bottle to the Onix's head. He sprayed the super potion, restoring the majority of the Onix's health and apparently removing the effects of the Mega Drain. Even the third – though it took more than half of her health – did not halt her as she advanced. She started to glow herself, but a dark red that signified her vengeance.

"The bide's ready," said Quinton.

"We hope it misses?" I offered, turning to see Quinton shaking his head.

Garrett was conflicted, but he couldn't reflect on it because he had to act quickly. He had to choose: who to sacrifice? He turned to his other Moemon, and all were watching the Onix, fearing its strike. Lily was facing the woman, stepping backward for each step the Onix took. The Onix started to shake its tail, whipping her head back and forth, creating an infinity of whips that threatened to end all life within it. Lily had backed up to the end, and she couldn't attempt a Mega Drain because it would have taken too long.

The Onix slammed the ground to Lily's left, creating a massive crater and shook Lily off her feet. She then slammed to Lily's right, cutting off all attempts of escape. She then swung at Lily, and made contact.

There was a collective shout of fear and disappointment in the audience. Garrett's Moemon were staring in disbelief. I had thrown my arms out, shielding my own Moemon from the effects of the attack. The Onix's tail had flattened the ground, meaning that whatever she had struck was nothing more…

…sorry…

…nothing more than a puddle of blood and… and just a child… such a noble child…

* * *

><p>Arthur:<p>

Christine the Charmeleon

Stacy the Staravia

Mandy the Mankey

Rose the Budew

Olivia the Dewott

Garrett:

Gloria the Ralts

Jenny the Joltik

Hope the Houndour

Veela the Venonat

Debbie the Deerling

Lily the Petilil

Quinton:

Melody the Beldum

Wendy the Wooper

Brianna the Shroomish

Flora the Pineco


	12. Chapter 11: Debbie

Chapter 11: Debbie

* * *

><p>Lily was a strong girl. Coming along the same line of royalty as Rose, while not related, Lily was confident in her strength yet civil in her manner. Her light green hair was tied into a ponytail, tied with an unidentifiable dark green plant. She wore a dress of various green patterns and green sandals. She had bright, yellow eyes and a small smile.<p>

But she was not the one to fall.

When the dust settled and the Onix lifted her tail, Lily had fallen into one of the craters, on her knees, coughing and wiping dirt off of her. She turned to where the tail had fallen and saw the body of one of her partners, and she looked away immediately.

Excuse me, Sis, if I don't describe the body in detail. You're too young, and I want to forget it happened. It was horrible; as you'd expect if a frail body was crushed to death by a pile of rocks.

As for the identity of Lily's savior? Well, I didn't know too much about this girl. She was shy and rarely spoke, even to the other Moemon. She kept to herself, but she showed promise in battle. She had great speed – which, I believe, attributed to her decision to sacrifice herself. She had believed she was the only Moemon with enough speed to act quickly. And, she made her decision because Lily had befriended her, learned about her, and comforted her.

"Debbie," Garrett whispered, looking at his fallen Deerling in horror.

"Oh my…" said Brock, covering his mouth in shock. "Onix?"

The Onix was looking at her hands in equal horror. "What have I done?" She turned to Brock. "What have I done, master?"

"I have never seen a death this brutal," said Stacy, who refused to look. The other Moemon – though they had explained that death was a common occurrence in this world – had similar reactions. Nobody, except for a few trainers, could even glance at the body.

"If it's okay, I'm going to call a time out," said Garrett without emotion, walking over to the body of Debbie, lifting it very carefully, and walking out of the gym.

It was an hour before he returned. The remains of Debbie had been cleaned, and the arena restored. The Onix had barely moved, and we weren't sure how to act. When Garrett arrived, he had calmed, and he kneeled before his Moemon to whisper some words of encouragement.

"Onix," said Brock, finally. "Return." The Onix hadn't heard, so Brock called her into her ball and sent out his final Moemon: Boldore.

"Are you ready to continue?" Brock asked, and Garrett nodded.

"Lily, can you do this?" Garrett asked. Lily had walked over to the others since the break, and she looked at Garrett.

"Absolutely," she said, her eyes glowing with vengeance.

"Then Mega Drain that rock."

Lily stepped forward, determined, both palms held out. The Boldore began the same twitching that the others had received, but much like Onix she refused to fall. The Boldore grabbed a nearby rock and threw it at Lily, hitting her in the head and ruining her concentration. Free, the Boldore dove into cover to avoid another attack. Lily stood her ground, rubbing her bruise and searching for her opponent. She then noticed the light blocked out for a split second, and she looked up just in time to notice a gigantic stalagmite hurtling toward her. She sprinted behind another rock, which crumbled as it took the hit.

"Lily!" Garrett shouted, as his Moemon crawled out from the rubble. Lily flashed him a thumbs up and turned toward the Boldore.

Another large rock flew through the air and landed near her. She knew she had to get closer, and she did so cautiously. Every once in a while a rock would crash around her, but it was obvious that the Boldore was stalling, as all of the rocks landed near the initial stalagmite. The Boldore wasn't expecting Lily to be heading toward her. Lily seemed to know where the Boldore was, and after one last toss of a rock, Lily sprinted silently toward her. Lily turned around a rock, palms out, as the Boldore was busy picking up another rock. The Boldore turned, noticed her, and did nothing as Lily shot a Mega Drain at her. The Boldore dropped the rock and fell to the ground, and Lily leaned against the rock to rest.

"The winner," announced the referee. "Is the challenger: Garrett!"

"We did it!" Garrett cheered, and he picked up his Moemon in celebration. The group ran up to Lily to congratulate her, as the audience cheered in his honor. After minutes of cheering, Garrett walked over to Brock and shook his hand. The exchanged praise, and Brock handed Garrett his Boulder Badge.

"Alright," said Christine, clapping her hands together. "Our turn, now!"

"There will be an hour break between this match and the next challenger's match," said the referee. "You may face Jerry now, but you must wait before facing Brock."

Christine groaned, lowering her head into her arms.

"No worries," I said, patting her on the back. "It gives us a chance to congratulate Garrett."

"Not sure why you're disappointed," said Mandy. "This fight is going to be Olivia and Rose's."

"Let's go," I said, before Christine could respond. Honestly, I didn't want to see her face, and I refused to look at her as I stepped down to the gym floor. As I reached Garrett, I patted him on the back and shook his head, stating that I was sorry for the loss of Debbie yet congratulating him on his victory.

"She shined brightest in her last moment," I said. "A noble, worthy sacrifice."

"It was so hard burying her," Garrett replied in little more than a whisper. "You don't know that pain. Not completely. Beauty was… intact… when she died. But, it's so hard not to simply go back to the hotel and cry."

"I will think nothing less of you if you do leave," I said. "I'd recommend taking your Moemon to her grave, saying some words. At the very least, let Lily say her goodbyes."

"Right," agreed Garrett. "I'll do that. Thanks, Arthur. And good luck." He signaled his Moemon to follow him, and he left the gym.

And I turned to face Jerry, who had taken his place at the opposite end of the gym. He had sent out his Diglett which, according to my Dex, was seven levels under Olivia.

"Olivia, make it quick," I said, and she stepped forward. She crouched, stepping cautiously toward her opponent, keeping her arms near her shells. The Diglett noticed her approach and dove into the ground, and Olivia pounced. She jumped high into the air, flipped forward, and landed softly above the hole. She leaned backward, mouth full, and lurched forward, spraying a geyser of water into the hole. Immediately, the Diglett surfaced, followed by the geyser, and collapsed, panting. Olivia walked over to the helpless Moemon and, in one quick kick, finished her.

"Olivia's going to take care of this whole gym by herself," said Mandy. "Can I go back to the stands? It's more comfortable."

"Why wouldn't you want to support your teammates?" Rose asked.

"I'd be able to cheer from the stands," Mandy replied. "But I'd be less sore."

"We all suffer the floor," I said, as Olivia walked back.

"Should I take the Sandshrew?" She asked.

I patted her shoulder. "We'll let Rose take this one."

Rose looked at me in surprise, but composed herself and nodded. She turned, took a deep breath, and walked eloquently and confidently toward the arena. Her opponent had already been called forward and was looking at her nervously.

"Good luck to you," Rose said, and, when the referee called the beginning of the match, she dove behind a rock. The Sandshrew stood there, looking at the rock in confusion, not noticing as Rose darted between rocks, keeping out of sight. The Sandshrew walked toward where she believed Rose was, while Rose herself had circled around behind her. Rose walked silently out from behind a rock, eyes closed, concentrating. Despite Jerry's screams of warning, the Sandshrew was unable to react in time, and she immediately succumbed to the Mega Drain. Rose stood calmly, unmoving, as she sucked the health from the Sandshrew. Jerry panicked, ran forward, scooped up the Sandshrew and ran out. Rose opened her eyes and followed him as he cared for his Moemon, staring at him even after he had left the arena.

"She disturbs me," said Christine, as Rose walked back. "What she does… it's creepy and unnatural."

"But she's a princess," Mandy said, curtseying mockingly. "How could they be creepy and unnatural? Honestly, Christine, you're paranoid."

"You burn girls to death," noted Stacy.

"Not to death," Christine countered. "They barely feel it. Even so, I don't suck life out of them."

"They barely feel it," replied Stacy. "They merely react to it."

"Doesn't make sense," said Christine, shaking her head. "I stand by my point."

Mandy faked a yawn and placed her arm over Rose's shoulder. "Congratulations, Princess Rose. Quick, easy, and painless."

"Wouldn't go that far," said Rose, eyeing Christine mischievously. "But it is nice to fight in such a professional environment."

"Isn't it, though," said Olivia. "I'll never get used to these bright lights."

By this point, many classmates had begun to leave the arena. It was clear that Jerry wouldn't want to fight any battles; Rose had scared him too much. Our battle wasn't for another hour. So, we waited for everyone to leave, and then we exited to an empty street.

"Where to?" I asked. "Do we want to make any preparations?"

"We know what we're up against," said Stacy. "That was a luxury which Debbie could never acquire."

"That was a cowardly move," said Mandy. "I can't believe a gym leader would stoop so low, simply to get a win."

"You say it's cowardice," said Stacy. "But it's definitely a strategy."

"He knows that people like Garrett and Arthur have it," said Christine. "He'd faced them before. He knows we can die. It may be a strategy, but it's a strategy where he takes minimal damage, yet we take all of it."

"Hence, a strategy," Stacy repeated. "It may not have been fair, but it was unexpected and took Garrett off guard. As a result, he was unable to think straight, relying on luck as opposed to strategy. It did exactly what it needed to do."

"You defend it," said Mandy. "But it changes nothing."

"You seem to be getting that a lot," Rose noted, looking at Stacy.

"'Have it'" I repeated. "Remind me, again, what 'it' is?"

"Have we explained what happened to challengers?" Stacy asked Christine. The latter shook her head. "I suppose we've hinted at it."

"You and your friends are people we like to call 'Challengers'," said Christine. "They're different from Trainers, because they want to beat the League."

"More than that," corrected Stacy. "Their entire purpose for being in Kanto is to beat the League. As a result, they're 'Cursed' – I suppose you could say – in order to prevent total domination of the League. A 'Nuzlocke Curse' is what it has come to be known as."

"It's not too often that we get a group as large as yours," said Christine. "Usually single people, occasional duos, the odd team."

"None succeed," said Mandy. "They always, always fall short of Championship. No matter how much they know the 'games' or how much they 'level grind' or talk about strategy. They always fail."

"What happens to Beauty and to Debbie," said Christine. "It's common; we're used to it. Some of us – the Moemon you get as starters – volunteer for the Nuzlocke Challenges. Sometimes, someone does what Garang does and sacrifices his shot at the League to let his Moemon go free. Sometimes, Challengers die."

"But most of the time, the Challenger and his entire Moemon team wipes out," said Stacy. "The Moemon die, and the Challenger – if he's still around, which is rare – refuses to continue with reserve Moemon. So, the Moemon go free, and the Challenger leaves."

"That's impossible," I said. "There have to be successes. If we're not the first, then somebody who has more knowledge and experience than us should have made it."

"Plenty make it to the League," said Olivia. "They're always overwhelmed."

"I don't understand you girls," I said, rubbing my forehead. "Why would anyone volunteer on suicide missions."

"The thrill," said Mandy nonchalantly. "Although, technically, we didn't volunteer."

"But you're fighting," I said. "You can leave at any time, and I won't stop you. Yet, you stay."

"We have noticed that," said Olivia, nodding. "Not many others let their Moemon roam at all times."

I looked to the side, thinking. "You're clearly more knowledgeable about this than I am. How were people in the past overwhelmed?"

"They never expect the surprises of the League," said Olivia. "They never come prepared."

"Well, what happens?"

"Last time there was a group this large, three people beat all eight gym leaders and challenged the League," said Christine, looking to others for clarification. "Oak let us watch the fight."

"The three of them fought in a free-for-all, until the last team stood," said Olivia. "Of course, that last 'team' had lost many members in the fight."

"So, when it came time to face the League," Mandy jumped in. "Naturally, they were weak and unprepared. They lost before beating the first member."

"It's the closest anyone has ever gotten," said Stacy.

As much as I didn't want to hear this, it was good that they told me then. It gave me plenty of time to prepare and anticipate. I had already considered something like this. The subtle differences and the completely obvious ones told me that this was going to be of very little relation to the games. And, with my classmates slowly understanding the rules of this challenge, there weren't going to be many massacres anytime soon.

I looked at my watch, at the app with the rules of the challenge. "Nuzlocke," I said, reading the title. "What does that mean?"

Stacy tapped my shoulder and pointed to the gym. Brock was walking out, talking into his watch. I looked at her, and then we followed. As we got closer, we picked up bits and pieces.

"That isn't true," he said in distress. "I've stopped six of them so far. There's plenty of opportunities. I'll be facing one of them in an hour." A pause, in which I looked around nervously. "You don't have a replacement. Don't bluff; I'm not the person you bluff to. I don't know why you're so worried about this group. They're no different from the last."

"Yes, I know it's only been a day since they began. It's not like it's hard to find this gym. Sure, these Challengers aren't newcomers, but they know nothing of Kanto. You have to stop worrying. Any who make it past me will take serious losses. The two Challengers who have each lost a Moemon, and more will follow."

"What do you think he means?" I asked.

"He's talking to his boss," said Stacy. "They're talking about us. His boss is worried. Take that as good news."

"Take it as bad news," Rose countered. "They'll be more cautious around us, and therefore will make less foolish mistakes."

"Take it as good news," said Christine. "The harder the challenge, the better."

"Take it as bad news, "argued Olivia. "This is going to be enough of a challenge. We don't need them cautious."

We looked at Mandy. She looked stunned by the attention, but she shrugged and said, "Go team."

Brock had walked to a nearby restaurant and entered. We had nothing to do, so we sat around the entrance.

"Do you know the name of his boss?" I asked.

"The Champion of the League," replied Stacy.

"The greatest trainer in Kanto," said Mandy. "Gary Oak."

* * *

><p>Arthur:<p>

Christine the Charmeleon

Stacy the Staravia

Mandy the Mankey

Rose the Budew

Olivia the Dewott

Garrett:

Gloria the Ralts

Jenny the Joltik

Hope the Houndour

Veela the Venonat

Lily the Petilil

Quinton:

Melody the Beldum

Wendy the Wooper

Brianna the Shroomish

Flora the Pineco


	13. Chapter 12: Brock

Chapter 12: Brock

* * *

><p>"Gary?" I repeated, stunned. I took it as an opportunity to get some vital information. "How old is he?"<p>

"Eighteen?" Mandy asked.

"Sounds about right," Stacy nodded. "He took over the League eight years ago, and he's been running it... curiously."

"When he was ten?" I clarified.

"When he was ten, he was short-tempered, bitter, and disappointed, and the League barely survived," explained Stacy. "You see, he had been crowned Champion, but he lost it almost immediately simply nicknamed 'Red'. But, after the years had passed and he matured, he took reasonability, and became more involved in the region. Things became stricter, but society flourished."

"You should've been here for the years when Gary sucked," said Mandy. "Does anyone remember the Celadon War a few years back? That was fun to read about."

Stacy remained stoic, and the two Moemon who had been trapped in their balls for several years, as well as the one who lived in a forest all of her life, shook their heads.

"You guys missed out," said Mandy. "Missed out on a lot of bad."

"Couldn't be that bad," I said, sounding nothing close to confident.

"Wait until you see Celadon," said Mandy. "Or, better yet, until Cinnabar."

"So the volcano has already exploded," I said.

"You could see the cloud from here," Mandy exclaimed.

"So how much of this world do you recognize?" I asked Christine.

She shrugged. "I recognize what I saw before I was put in the ball. I know all common knowledge. But, I was put in just after Red had defeated Gary, so anything that happened afterward is lost."

Eight years, being stuck in the ball. That must have been unimaginably horrible. I hoped, then and now, that there was some sedative in the balls, so that the wait was instantaneous. But now I understood Christine's eagerness to fight and her confusion in Pallet. After doing nothing for eight years, I would have been eager and excited simply to move.

"I'm sorry I'm not using you in the gym fight," I said, as the thought crossed my mind.

Christine looked at me in confusion, and then her eyes widened in realization. "It's fine," she said nonchalantly. "You have your reasons. I'll fight the next gym."

"Don't want to burst your bubble, but Misty still uses water types," said Mandy. Christine bit her lip in frustration.

"You chose the wrong expression," said Olivia, patting Mandy on the back. "Use that for me."

"There aren't any good fire puns," Mandy pouted.

"You'll think of some," said Olivia.

"Do we want her to?" Christine asked.

"Suck it up," said Rose, with that same mischievous smile.

"Well, aren't you just a royal pain," Christine countered.

"Girls," I warned. "Before my head explodes, enough with the puns."

"Agreed," said Stacy. "Can we talk about strategy, now?"

While we discussed strategy, I began to contemplate the full extent of the region. In just two years, the time between the first and second generation of games, there had been several changes to the region of Kanto. Eight years had passed, so I had no idea what could have changed. This likely explained the diversity of Moemon, as trainers traveling across the world would have brought their Moemon with them. This also explained Brock's change in appearance, now taller, gruffer, and more muscular, as well as the changes to the three cities we had been to. Although this could be explained simply because the games couldn't handle such environments, but I digress.

* * *

><p>When the hour had passed, my competitors started flooding into the gym, taking their places in the stands. It seems in that hour, they had caught more Moemon, as there were now more little girls than teenagers. Or we had been rubbing off on them. Or they wanted their Moemon to view my fight to prepare themselves for theirs.<p>

Brock had walked to the center of the arena, standing with his arms crossed and a stern, focused frown. As I entered, after treating my Moemon to a meal and finishing the strategy, I heard everyone cheer my name.

"You aren't supposed to be rooting for me," I shouted, but they replied that the competition wasn't important.

...Actually, they said, "Fuck the competition!" But I thought I'd be nice. Also, pretend you didn't hear that, Sis.

...Anyway, I shook hands with Brock, and we wished each other good luck. We walked back to our sides and waited.

"Before we begin," announced Brock. "I would like to say a few words. Now that you are all here. I, and my fellow gym leaders, realize that you are all Competitors. I'm not going to go easy on you because of that. In fact, it's my job to go even harder on you. However, I will say that you all have bounties on your heads. I don't know if anyone has told you this, but in Kanto, your Competition, the Nuzlocke, is world renown. Word will spread, and people will know.

"There is a contest held every time your Nuzlocke Challenge begins. With such a large group, there will be many trainers who will want such prestige. As a result, I warn you to train your Moemon cautiously and intelligently. Nowhere, not even the smallest village, is safe. When I kill, it is to fulfill my duty as a Gym Leader. When others kill, they do it out of malice, spite, greed, and a false sense of honor. Be wary, be cautious, and protect your Moemon."

I smiled, despite the warning. He really did care about us. He hadn't changed from the anime in the slightest.

"Are you ready to begin, Arthur?" He asked. "I will not think less of you if you wish to train. In fact, I would encourage it."

"No worries," I said. "We're here to challenge you, and we aren't backing down. By the way, that was a great speech, and thanks for the warning."

I turned to my Moemon. "I just hope the others take it."

"You're really chummy about this Competition," Mandy noted.

"Why be at each other's throats if it accomplishes nothing?" I asked.

"Says the person who eliminated that one boy," countered Mandy.

"He challenged me. It's not my fault."

"He was the first to change," said Stacy. "He won't be the last."

"Please stop," I sighed. "Olivia, you're up."

Olivia nodded, smirking confidently. The Geodude was already out, and was tossing a rock in the air and catching it, sharing an equally confident grin.

"A Dewott," Brock noted, apparently not noticing it before. "It seems my advice was unnecessary."

"Not for me, no," I agreed. "But the others might."

I must have gotten some angry glares at that comment, but the referee had thrown down his flags and the battle had begun. The Geodude threw her rock at Olivia, but she had hidden behind a boulder before it hit. She dove from rock to rock, prepping for a water gun. She got close, but before I could command an attack, Brock pointed at the rock she was at and shouted, "Rock Smash!"

"Dodge!" I shouted in panic, and Olivia dove aside as her hiding spot was crushed to pebbles by the Geodude's fist.

"Tell your audience not to stare directly at your Moemon," Brock said. "I've seen that strategy done far too many times, and your audience makes it even easier."

There was a resounding, "Sorry" from the audience, and Olivia blasted her Water Gun anyway. The Geodude, still on the ground from the Rock Smash, couldn't dodge in time. She was blasted by the spout with such force that she crashed into another rock and fainted.

"One hit knockout!" I cheered, waving for Olivia to return. Olivia ran up and hugged me in excitement, as the others crowded around into a group hug. "Excellent!"

And then the Onix was thrown out, and our cheering ceased. "Right," I said. "Her."

"The deer slayer," Christine muttered.

"This isn't the time to continue your puns," I muttered.

"What pun?"

"Never mind. Olivia, you good for another round?"

"Yep."

"Then blast her away." I was then punched in the back of the head by Christine.

Olivia walked forward, mouth already full, as the referee through down his flags.

"Bide," Brock announced, as the water was spouted from her mouth. The Onix held her arms in front of her, seeming glowing in a silver sheen, as the water bounced off of her. Most of her health had been removed, so I saw no harm in telling Olivia to go a second time.

Brock walked forward as Olivia prepped and sprayed the Onix with a super potion. I immediately saw where this was going. The water gun hit the Onix, but it didn't faint it. I told Olivia to water gun again, but Brock had sprayed, and again the Onix wasn't dead.

Everyone knew where this was heading, and I couldn't believe that I had fallen for the same trap. Not only that, but one of my Moemon was guaranteed to die. It was going to happen this turn, and I turned to my Moemon, to my horror contemplating which one was best to sacrifice. They looked at me in equal horror, as Olivia stood before the Onix which was close to releasing her Bide.

"Arthur," Olivia said, tired and seemingly awaiting her fate. "Let me get one last attack in, and then finish it."

"Olivia," I said, not understanding what I was hearing. "Don't do this to me, to Garang."

I couldn't see her face, but I imagined she was smiling in defeat, embracing death. "I'm fine," she said. "Just... just tell Garang I tried."

She prepped for the Water Gun, and I wanted to close my eyes, but I couldn't, and after what seemed like an eternity Brock announced his Onix to release, and she jumped out of her stance and charged at Olivia, and she swung her tail in an arc in preparation to strike, and Olivia fired her water gun right as the Onix was closest, and the water gun connected and the Onix was blown away, and I watched as the Onix collapsed on the ground, her tail dropping limp beside her, and Olivia standing, tired, panting, but standing.

"Critical hit," Olivia whispered, and she fell to her knees.

Brock was clearly surprised as he called the Onix back to her ball. "Impressive," he said. "Lucky, no doubt, but I'm impressed that you had enough confidence in your Moemon to keep her out."

"Yeah," I said halfheartedly. "Confidence." I walked over to Olivia, helped her to her feet, and let her lean on my shoulder as we walked back to the others. They surrounded her in congratulations, while I picked Rose up.

"Are you ready to win this?" I asked, looking directly at her.

She nodded silently, and there was a wildness in her eyes that was struggling to break free. I set her down and wished her luck as she stepped to face Brock's Boldore. The Boldore stood with her hands on her hips, staring Rose down with a look of disgust.

"Trainers, Moemon," said the referee. "Begin the match!"

Rose closed her eyes and held her palm out facing the Boldore. The Boldore seemed to feel the Mega Drain, as she twitched and shook. The Boldore grabbed a nearby rock and chucked it at Rose, hitting her in her head and breaking her concentration. Rose recoiled in surprise, but maintained her balance, rubbing the sore spot on her head. The Boldore had hidden in the rocks.

"Can you sense her?" I asked. Rose shook her head. "Then be cautious."

Instead, Rose jumped onto one of the flattened rocks, peering out around the arena. There was a bit of movement to her left, and her eyes locked on, but a faint clattering of rock upon rock told her it was a distraction. As a result, she tensed up and turned nearly ninety degrees. There, she saw a flash of dark blue, and she held her palm up in that direction.

"Rock Throw," Brock commanded, and a few seconds later a large boulder was tossed from the arena and hurtled toward Rose. Rose jumped from the rock, ducking and rolling, landing to a stop on her knees. She had flipped around immediately, her palm out, waiting for another movement.

"Rock Tomb."

"Oh no," I said. "Rose, move, now!"

"I know where she is!" Rose replied, stepping forward. I screamed at her to get away, but she hadn't seen the four large boulders raised above her head by some strange force. The Boldore was on top of a rock, her arms outstretched, fighting off the pain of Rose's Mega Drain. The Boldore lifted her arms high in the air, and then threw them down, and the levitating boulders imitated that motion. They crashed around Rose, surrounding her, trapping her.

"Are you okay?" I screamed with concern. I heard a muffled confirmation from inside, but I didn't know how I could get her out. She was trapped.

"Rock Smash."

The Boldore leapt into the air and dropped with her fist outstretched, crumbling the four rocks with one swift blow. The rocks fell on top of Rose, crushing her.

"Rose!" I screamed. "Can you hear me?"

There was silence. The Boldore got to her feet and brushed herself off, eyeing me smugly. I ignored her, tempted to run up to the pile of boulders and save Rose. I looked at my Moemon, and they motioned me to get her. Before I could reach the edge of the arena, a small arm shot out from the pile of rubble. An arm clothed in green.

"Rose!" I shouted in relief, as my Moemon crawled out of the pile and toppled to the ground. "Can you fight?"

Rose was breathing deeply, and she paused several times to catch her breath as she spoke, "Once I get some energy back." When she finished, she held her palm out and used Mega Drain on the Boldore. This one, as the Boldore hadn't thought to dive behind cover, was a direct hit, and healed Rose greatly.

"And this one," she said. "Is for that look you gave Arthur." She sucked in a deep breath and blew, firing small black seeds at the Boldore as quickly as a machine gun. The Bullet Seed didn't do too much damage, but Rose fired five waves, stepping closer with each wave, each of her seeds hitting her directly. At the final wave, she was standing over the Boldore, who had dropped to the ground, and was merely doing so to ensure her victory. She spat the last seed out, gave a short "hmph", and walked away.

"The winner of the Boulder Badge," shouted the referee, waving his right flag at me. "Is Arthur!"

* * *

><p>Arthur:<p>

Christine the Charmeleon

Stacy the Staravia

Mandy the Mankey

Rose the Budew

Olivia the Dewott

Garrett:

Gloria the Ralts

Jenny the Joltik

Hope the Houndour

Veela the Venonat

Lily the Petilil

Quinton:

Melody the Beldum

Wendy the Wooper

Brianna the Shroomish

Flora the Pineco


	14. Chapter 13: Hunter M

Chapter 13: Hunter M

* * *

><p>The moment where I picked Rose up in my arms and hugged her tightly in victory was one of the best moments of my journey. The first badge is more important than the others; it is the toughest obstacle to overcome. You're given little "resources" in your advantage, so you make do with what you have. And when you succeed, when all odds are against you and you persevere and overcome, it's a fantastic feeling.<p>

We celebrated, of course, with a group hug. I promised them all food in the finest restaurant, and my classmates cheered our names so loud that the entire city could hear. It seemed like hours before I was able to break away from our hug and walk over to accept my badge. Brock and I shook hands and he handed me my badge while giving me a genuinely proud smile. I held it up to the light, looking at it gleam and sparkle. I took it back to my Moemon and they ogled it in awe.

"One down, seven to go," I said. "I'm so proud of you all."

I admit, I felt guilty that my victory was given far more applause than Garrett's. Likely, it was because I was the first not to lose anyone in the gym battle. As a result, when Garrett pointed out this fact as he tackled me to the ground in glee, my smile was a facade. It killed the mood somewhat, knowing that we'd go to bed with one less friend than we woke with.

The celebration didn't last much longer, as Quinton had stepped down to take his place. Apparently, Quinton had snuck back into the gym during the hour break and challenged Jerry as we ate. Also, Brock didn't want to take another long break while we were in high spirits. So, Quinton's match happened immediately.

He primarily used Wendy and Brianna, using Water Gun and Absorb to ridiculously spammy extremes. Where he and I differed is in strategy; he called out nearly every move for his Moemon, ensuring that they do exactly as he plans. It was effective, as his Moemon rarely took a hit, but I noticed they seemed unnerved by their lack of freedom.

When it came down to Onix, Quinton played it extremely cautiously. He called Melody out, but had her wait by him. Brock called his Bide, so Quinton pulled out a curious item. He later explained that it was an X-Defend, but those items' designs had always confused me. He told Melody to take down, which did little damage, but after three hits, the power of Onix's Bide did similarly minimal damage. Then a long process of attrition occurred, as Brock used Bide until all of its PP had depleted. Whenever either Moemon got low on health, the respective trainer would use a Super Potion. Where Quinton got the money to afford so many Super Potions, I will never know. When Onix had finally run out of Bide, and I remember it taking more than an hour (most of our classmates had left to sleep), Quinton switched Melody out for Brianna and took Onix out in two moves.

After that long process, the Boldore was child's play. Quinton won handily, and though he also won flawlessly, because he had taken so long there were few people left to celebrate. Nevertheless, Garrett and I cheered loudly for him, hoping to get someone's attention to give Quinton more fame, but he didn't seem to care. He congratulated his Moemon and left the gym.

"Well, he seemed happy," said Garrett.

"He must be tired," I offered. "We'll celebrate in the morning."

"It probably already is morning."

* * *

><p>With us three having won, the others hounded us for tips and information. We helped as best as we could, but even we can't fight fate. As I said, there are few "resources" available. You're given a starter Moemon at random, and sometimes that can help, and other times that can't. You're given five chances to catch another Moemon, but even that can be ruined by duplicates or accidentally defeating your potential Moemon. And even if you succeed in catching one, it can be killed in battle, or it can be absolutely useless in the fight.<p>

This was the case for many of our classmates. There were two girls who got Igglybuff and Happiny as their starters, and though they caught a few Moemon, they lost some in the Forest, and those who survived had no attacks which could effectively damage Rock Moemon. When they challenged Brock a few days later, they didn't last long.

There was another boy who had an Elekid as his starter. He thought he could beat the gym, despite us warning him that Ash's victory in the anime - that was what he based his logic on - was an impossible fluke. I believe that he knew that he stood no chance, and that he wanted to fall on his own terms. He never beat the Geodude.

Nevertheless, there were many victories. There were a few who won flawlessly, no doubt taking note of our matches. Sam won swiftly, Max cleanly, Drew, Nick, and Molly without a scratch. There were a lot of casualties, most resulting from Brock's Bide strategy. It seemed to be one of his only effective killing moves, as he relied on that during every fight.

It wasn't all fighting, though. All of us spent the week touring the city, seeing the sights, exploring various buildings and homes. The citizens were incredibly kind and welcoming, even though - although perhaps as a result - they knew we were Challengers, and therefore dangerous targets. We had multiple parties, especially in the Center.

A lot of us trained. I decided, despite their protests, to give my Moemon a break from training. I reasoned that we didn't want to be too overleveled, to make the coming journey more interesting. In reality, I simply wanted to relax. There were several evolutions, mostly from the surviving starter Moemon. Unfortunately, everyone had exhausted their possible catching opportunities, so while our family was exceptionally large - I would assume at the time of my gym battle there were around ninety of us - with each passing death the family grew smaller.

The fourth day was the most important. The first event to occur was Lance's Gym Battle. The reason I never mention him is because he lost horribly. He had a Monferno and another pair of normal typed Moemon. At the very least, I could say it was a short, relatively painless match.

The point is that we weren't in the highest spirits. He wanted to battle early in the morning, likely to soak up our praise throughout the day, but we ate breakfast in relative silence.

"Why do we do this?" Max asked. "Why do we keep challenging Brock to gym battles? How many of us have lost?"

"Lance was the tenth," Quinton replied.

"A third of us," continued Max, shaking his head. "A third of us have fallen."

"But a third of us have succeeded," countered Drew. "You talk like this is hopeless. It's not. A lot of us have gotten unlikely, or we don't have the right experience. But you know why we have to challenge him. We have to stick together, play this game as a team. If we fall too far behind, then we'll never catch up."

"Then, we're pressuring everyone who hasn't challenged him yet," countered Max.

"Then what's your point?" Drew asked. "Why are you suddenly against this idea?"

"I hate seeing my friends fall in front of me," said Max, gritting his teeth. "And my point is that you're right. We're unprepared and inexperienced. Despite all the help we've gotten, some of us are hopelessly expecting to beat impossible odds."

"You do realize we can all hear you," said Nick. "You aren't helping anyone who's worried about failing. You're making it worse."

"We should stay here," said Max. "Stay in Pewter longer than a week."

"You can," said Eric. "I won't. I'm leaving in three days. I love the city, but I'm getting bored."

"You mean your Moemon are getting bored," said Max.

Eric shrugged. "The girls have a way with words. They've been begging me to leave ever since I beat Brock. I can't hold them off forever."

"My girls are acting the same," I said. "They don't want to stay here, Max. And, honestly, neither do I."

"This is what I'm getting at," said Max.

"You're jumping around several issues without making a point," said Quinton.

"Because you interrupt me when I make a point." Max exhaled deeply. "If these girls weren't girls, we wouldn't feel pressured to protect them. However, because they're girls, they're able to convince us to do things we wouldn't want. They're forcing us into a Catch-22."

"You have yet to make a point."

Max bit his lip before speaking. "I think they're to blame. For this."

"Max, you're speaking like a conspiracy theorist," said Garrett. "You're upset over Lance, sure, but you can't go blaming them."

Max shook his head and took a large bite out of his meal. "Just tell me the next time you say 'no' to your Moemon. Tell me how long that lasts. I love my girls, don't get me wrong, but I'm starting to get worried."

It was strange to see Max go off on such a tangent. He isn't quiet, but he always acted calm and amiable whenever we hung out. He singled several of us out, practically shouted, and made us uncomfortable and worried. It wasn't like him.

And while the others couldn't see the point he was trying to make, I admit I noticed it myself. I couldn't say no to the girls, and it took every ounce of my strength to ignore their disappointed faces when I told them to wait for a few more days. They were far too anxious to leave, almost as if they could sense something was wrong, or that they needed to do something urgently.

Turns out, it was both.

The former happened later that day. As we left the Center, naturally in a large group as we always ate meals together, we noticed a lone figure walking from the City's East entrance. He was wearing a long, brown cape and a fedora. He was tall and thin and rugged, with large, black eyebrows and a bushy mustache. He walked with a confident, arrogant manner, and when he noticed us, he stopped across the road.

"You're in the wrong era," shouted Garrett. "The Wild West is that way!"

"I'm not hear for jokes," shouted the man. "I'm here for my prize."

At this, we tensed up. Several of us pulled Moemon close, protecting them. Others stepped forward with determination in their eyes.

"One million yen for anyone who claims proof of falling a Challenger," said the man, pulling off his cloak. "And I aim to collect. The name's M. Hunter M."

"He's one of the people Brock warned about," whispered Quinton. I shushed him, implying that I already knew.

"So, I challenge one of you to a fight to the death," said Hunter M. He surveyed us, searching for the weakest face. He saw her, and he pointed at her. "I challenge you. And you have no choice but to accept."

It was the Girl from Pallet, the one with the Bulbasaur, now an Ivysaur of Stacy's height. The Girl shook her head, hiding somewhat behind Drew.

"Rules are rules," said Hunter M. "The rest of you are lucky. I only need one of you as a prize. So, I challenge her, and her alone. She accepts, she wins, she goes free. She loses, or she doesn't accept, then I get my money. Those are the stakes, and that is what I'm playing for."

"Cities are safe zones," shouted Sam. "You can't challenge us here!"

"That law, sir, was repealed, oh, about five years ago," replied Hunter M. "Now, let's stop wasting these people's time and have our fight."

The Girl took a deep breath and stepped forward. Her Ivysaur was at her side, holding her shoulder reassuringly, whispering into her ear with a worried expression on her face. Her other Moemon, a little Pidgey, walked along beside them. She nodded, knelt down, and sent her Pidgey out.

Hunter M stood with one hand on his lips, the other in his belt. He pulled out a ball and tossed it with a toothy grin. Out of the ball appeared a Seviper, a woman dressed in a purple dress with patterns in the shape of eyes on her chest and a long purple tail coming to a sharp, red point. The woman shared an equally confident look.

"She's a beauty, isn't she?" Hunter M asked admirably. "Caught her a month ago, out over yonder. Wasn't my first, but she's my favorite. And she's the only one I'll need."

The Girl turned around to look at us, and at once I noticed the defeat in her eyes. She knew she couldn't win, but she could do nothing about it.

"Pidgey," she shouted. "Wing Attack!"

The Pidgey leapt into the air and dove at the Seviper, spiraling like a twister. Seviper lurched back and fired a purple blob, which collided with the Pidgey and sent her crashing into the ground. The Seviper walked casually up to the Pidgey, while the Girl frantically attempted to recall her to her ball, picked her up, and swiftly cracked her neck. She dropped the lifeless body to the ground and signaled for the Ivysaur.

Meanwhile, we were sickened by the sudden, instant death. Many had gasped or looked away in disgust, and some were close to tears. The Girl was hugging her Ivysaur tightly, begging her not to go. I could only catch a small part of the conversation:

"You're going to die," the Girl said, crying hopelessly. "You're going to die, and it's all my fault!"

The Ivysaur pushed her to arms length and looked her in the eyes. "I chose this path. I convinced you to leave Pallet, so this is my responsibility. Not yours. You're the greatest trainer I've ever seen, and don't you ever forget it."

"You're going to die," the Girl repeated, shaking her head. "We can still run, can't we? You don't have to die. I could give you away, to someone else."

The Ivysaur shook her head as well. "I'm not running. If I die, I'm dying while fighting. We'll be strong until the end, alright?"

I turned to Hunter M, who was looking at the Pidgey's body, unnerved. His smile had dropped, and he stood shorter, less composed. He glanced at his Seviper with eyes filled with terror.

"You ready, ma'am?" Hunter M asked, even his voice shaky. "I'd really hate to do this, but I we have to finish this battle."

"There's no point," the Girl replied. "We can still run."

"But we're not going to run," the Ivysaur had walked to the Seviper, staring directly at her. The Seviper maintained her confidence and composure, and stared her down.

"Let's go," said Hunter M.

"Leech Seed," said the Girl, holding back tears.

The Ivysaur stepped back and threw two seeds at the Seviper. She dodged the first, but the second caught part of her tail and latched on, growing instantaneously. The seed sprouted into a group of thorny vines which entrapped her tail and legs. She could move, but not enough to avoid the Ivysaur's vine whip - a literal green whip - which she used to slash a bloodless gash into the Seviper's cheek. The Seviper faced Ivysaur, trapped, with a menacing glare.

"Vine whip her!" The Girl commanded, her voice filled with hope at this sudden event.

Hunter M had forgotten the Pidgey and was now smiling. "Flamethrower."

"What?" The Ivysaur asked, a split second too late. She turned to see the Seviper opening its mouth, revealing a blast of flames which engulfed her. The Girl screamed as she saw her Ivysaur burn, flailing about trying to put out the fire.

Immediately, Olivia ran to the Ivysaur and sprayed her with water, putting out the majority of the flames. But what was left of the Ivysaur was this blacked, lifeless body. Olivia caught the Ivysaur as she fell and set her gently on the ground.

We watched the Girl run up to her Moemon and weep over their bodies, before she was caught in the blinding light and disappeared. Hunter M had left by this point, no doubt to collect his prize. And we were left wondering whether any place was safe.

* * *

><p>Arthur:<p>

Christine the Charmeleon

Stacy the Staravia

Mandy the Mankey

Rose the Budew

Olivia the Dewott

Garrett:

Gloria the Ralts

Jenny the Joltik

Hope the Houndour

Veela the Venonat

Lily the Petilil

Quinton:

Melody the Beldum

Wendy the Wooper

Brianna the Shroomish

Flora the Pineco


	15. Chapter 14: Pewter's East Gate

Chapter 14: Pewter's East Gate

* * *

><p>It's terrible to imagine that death wasn't such an uncommon occurrence. We were almost used to the idea. I said that there were around ninety of us after our battles. By the end of the week, that number had been cut in half. After the incident with Hunter M, two more fell to Brock.<p>

But, despite the losses, we prevailed. Half of us succeeded in defeating Brock. On the evening of the seventh day, after the last Challenger had succeeded in beating Brock, Brock invited us to a nearby restaurant in celebration.

Half way through our meal, Brock stood up, holding his glass. "I would like to congratulate all of you for defeating me and being one more step on your way to becoming the Champion. I would also like to give you some more advice. Toward the East is Cerulean City, your next destination. The gym leader is Misty, who specializes in water Moemon. Do with that information what you may. To get to Cerulean, you will need to travel through Mt. Moon: a dark, extraordinary cave. Bring flashlights and a lot of batteries. Parts of it have been lit, but much of it hasn't.

"And, most importantly, protect your Moemon. I cannot, and will never be able to, stress that enough. Your Moemon are strong, but without you to guide them they will never reach their full potential. You need each other to survive.

"I'll be at the Indigo Plateau as soon as I hear that you've made it. I'll cheer you on. Good luck, and enjoy the rest of your meal."

* * *

><p>That night at the hotel, Quinton told us to unpack our bags for supplies.<p>

"We'll buy what we don't have at the store," said Quinton.

"Right," said Garrett, dumping his bag and scattering everything. "What don't we have?"

"Besides everything?" I asked.

"Besides anything."

"Food, water, clothes, flashlights, batteries, medicine, extra balls, healing items, berries," Quinton continued to list.

"I can't wait until we're able to fit a bike in this," I said, holding up my small bag.

"We're lucky they don't eat a lot," Garrett said, nodding at our sleeping Moemon. "Or we'd be in trouble as far as food goes."

"How long are we going to travel?" I asked. "Are there any stores or villages along the way?"

"A few, but we'd only see them if we got impossibly lost," said Quinton. "Path's fairly straight forward, so long as we watch our watch."

"And you do that plenty," said Garrett. "Where do you find this money, anyway? Everything you named, I have in my bag, and I don't remember putting much in it."

"Small errands, few favors, a bit of begging," admitted Quinton. "We have plenty of money for the next few stops, so unless something terrible happens, we aren't in trouble."

"Good. One less thing to worry about." Garrett said.

"Well, someone has to prepare," said Quinton. "You two don't seem to care too much."

"I was going to pack," I said defensively. "But I was waiting until the night we were sure we were leaving."

"I don't think I have anything to pack," said Garrett.

"Haven't you been shopping?" Quinton asked.

"Well, yeah, but not enough to justify packing."

"Stop being lazy," I said. "You have a family to feed. You can't afford it."

"Yes mom." Garrett shook his head. "You know, I've been wondering: should we get some more information out of them? Ask them more about Kanto?"

"Most of them don't know much about this region," said Quinton.

"Then we could ask some of the locals."

We thought about this. "You know, that's a good idea," said Quinton. "When we get to Cerulean, we'll ask someone. Or consult a library."

"Or the Internet," added Garrett.

"They don't have any," said Quinton. "Trust me. I checked."

"I bet you were disappointed."

"Devastated."

* * *

><p>We met at the Moemon Center for one final meal before setting off. The fifteen of us who survived talked happily, but there was an unmistakable air of tension and excitement. Much of the city was empty, for some event happening in Celadon that we couldn't visit at the moment, so we were alone.<p>

"For catching opportunities, there are three between Cerulean and here," said Quinton. "The route before Mt. Moon, Mt. Moon itself, and the route after Mt. Moon."

"Are there a lot of trainers along the routes?" Eric asked.

"I have no idea."

"Or in the cave?"

"No idea."

"Or waiting outside the Center, watching us?"

At this, Quinton stood up and looked outside the window. "Now that I can confirm: None there."

"Can't you zoom in on parts of the world?"

"Only on us, within ten feet. It's annoying like that."

"It's very annoying," Sam sighed. "We should, at the very least, be able to scout ahead. I want to know if there are any more people like Hunter M."

"Can Seviper learn Flamethrower?" Drew asked. "I thought it wasn't fire."

"It can, through TMs," said Quinton. "That Hunter came very prepared."

"Is 'snapping your neck' a move in the games?" Nick asked. "I'd love to teach my Moemon that."

"How long are we going to stay in this large group?" Max asked. "Until Cerulean?"

"No offense to anyone, but Nick, Molly, and I are going to split up from the group as soon as we can," said Drew.

"Garrett, Arthur, and I were thinking of doing the same," said Quinton.

"So not long," Max's face dropped. "This could be the last meal we eat together."

"In Kanto, at least," said Quinton.

I leaned toward Max. "You should join us."

Max shook his head. "I promised I'd travel with the others. I'm sure you'll do fine."

"Didn't we promise to travel together back in Pallet? When's that going to happen."

"Soon, soon," said Max. "Just keep them alive until then."

"What happened to them being dangerous?"

Max sighed. "I still believe they're dangerous, but they're a danger which you want as many as possible on your side."

* * *

><p>We went straight from the Center to the East Entrance. We stood in a line, on the edge of the route and the city, looking at each other occasionally. Nobody was willing to make the first step.<p>

"Odd," said Drew. "I want to leave, but I don't."

"Might be because we're safer in here," said Quinton. "And we'd be subjected to the wild out there."

I felt someone push me forward. I turned to see Christine, both of her hands pushing against my back, with the others watching her amusingly.

"Let's go," she said anxiously. "We're in a race, remember?"

"Calm yourself," I replied.

"You're not doing anything," Christine argued. "Why don't you just go?"

I turned to some of the other Challengers, and many of their Moemon had gotten tired and were pushing with equal anxiety. Some had submitted, and were beginning to walk forward.

Eric, the person in the lead, turned around. "Good luck, everyone! Promise that we'll all meet in Cerulean City!"

Many, including myself, shouted the promise. I turned to Christine and motioned for her to follow me, a cheesy grin on my face. We found Garrett and Quinton and headed off into the trees, separating from the group.

I was eager to catch my final Moemon. My current team balanced each other beautifully, and I considered myself incredibly lucky to have caught such Moemon so early. What I feel we needed was a tank, someone who can take damage and hit hard. The cave, I felt, would be the perfect place to find one.

However, it was Garrett who found his Moemon first. He had wandered off a bit, toward a large lake. It wasn't hard to understand why he would do such a thing: he lacked a water type. The first Moemon he saw was stepping daintily across the beach, almost gliding with such graceful poise. He sent out Jenny to zap her before she could react. The zap paralyzed her, causing her to trip over her white and orange frilly dress and land on her feet, causing the collar of her extravagant dress to flutter over her head. With a toss of a ball, the Goldeen was caught.

Garrett picked up the ball and tossed it to the ground, and the Goldeen appeared with a glazed look on her face.

"I suppose I now serve you," she said nonchalantly, slightly tipping her head to the side. We stared at her in confusion, unsure how to react to this indifference. "I hope you're all friends. In which case, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"I have a feeling I'm not going to like her," I heard Hope whisper.

"The feeling would be mutual," I heard Gloria reply. Gloria then received a bite and yelped in pain.

"Please don't fight," said Lily. "We want to make a good first impression."

"No, we don't," said Hope. "Because we shouldn't care. She's forced to work with us, whether we like it or not."

"The friendlier you are with people," replied Lily, with an overtone of frustration. "The more likely they will be to save you from danger."

"Are you implying that I need to be saved?"

"I'm not implying. I'm stating. As fact."

"Garrett," I said. "Control your Moemon, please. Particularly the one wearing skulls."

"Hope, I have a ball with your name on it," warned Garrett. "Now let me concentrate on our new friend's name."

"Don't think too hard," I heard Hope mumble, and then heard a yelp, followed by a suspiciously Gloria-like snicker.

"Eileen," said Garrett. "I'll call you Eileen." Eileen nodded, but otherwise made no acknowledgement of the name.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see Stacy behind me. "I noticed a derelict building across the lake," she said. "We should investigate."

* * *

><p>Along the lake, I caught my sixth Moemon. A small girl in a red skirt, wearing a red bandana which contrasted two black antennae-like tails of hair that stuck out from her head, hummed softly to herself as she walked through the nearby brush. She heard us coming before she saw us, but there was something about us that she liked, so she stepped out of the bushes as we passed her. Stacy, as usual, was the first to notice, and I felt a familiar tap as she pointed her out.<p>

"Hello," said the girl, with exceptional happiness. "I don't suppose one of you has room on your team for me? I'd like to join you!"

I turned to Mandy. "She volunteered."

Mandy looked stunned. "You're going to hold that one comment against me? It wasn't even the most 'take that' comment I've made!"

I shook my head and knelt so that we were eye level ."I have room."

"Great!" The girl said, clapping many times in rhythm. "Let's make this official!" She walked over and tapped the ball with her head, sealing herself inside. After the ball clicked, I let her out.

I had to double check the dex. "Kricketot," I said. "Shall be Kris."

* * *

><p>We reached the building, a metallic, rectangular structure, mechanical, and calculated. Its metal walls had rusted and corroded. An iron gate surrounded it, which was easily broken open by a swift kick from Mandy. The gate shattered, sending pieces flying into the overgrown, weed-filled garden. As the gate fell, so did a large antennae from the building's roof. It crashed to the ground so loudly that it caused many of us to jump, some bumping into each other and collapsing into a pile.<p>

Christine helped pick me up, and I said apprehensively, "Does anyone want to go inside?"

Quinton was listening to Melody's whispers. "She says there's someone trapped inside. We should help."

"Trapped inside that?" Garrett replied. "I don't want to sound rude, but he's probably gone by now."

"It's a laboratory," said Quinton. "It could have information about this place since Gary's rise. Anything new in this region could."

"How do you know it's a lab?" I asked.

Melody answered: "I sense death and pain."

"Lovely."

"Furthermore, it's likely that the lab was created by Team Rocket."

* * *

><p>As we entered the lab, we heard faint crying echo through the empty lab. The entire building was covered in metal, with various broken beakers and test tubes scattered along the ground and tables. There was an intense, putrid odor that wafted from dried fluids along several tables. There were several bookcases along the walls, filled with dusty, decaying books. Four glass tubes lined a wall, each large enough to hold a person inside. Three were empty, but one held a little girl crying into her knees, arms around them to keep them next to her head.<p>

As we stepped inside, our footsteps echoing against the metal floor, the girl stopped crying and looked at us. When she saw our numbers, she got to her feet and went into a fighting stance, one arm bent behind above her head, one bent in front of her, glaring at us through her tears.

"Oh my god," Olivia whispered. "What have they done to her?"

"Who are you?" The girl demanded. "Why are you here?"

"To rescue you," explained Quinton. He stepped carefully beyond the glass on the floor and up to the girl, maintaining eye contact with her. "My name is Quinton, and I am a Moemon Trainer. I want to save you."

The girl's glare softened, but she maintained her fighting stance. "I've been lied to by humans too many times," she said. "Why would I trust you?"

"Because I'm not wearing a lab coat," Quinton replied. He turned to Melody. "Can you break the glass?"

Melody look at the glass, closed her eyes for a few seconds, and then nodded confidently. "Protect your face," she told the girl. "I won't be able to stop all the glass."

The girl, after a moment, nodded, and sat down into her original position, protecting her face with her knees and her hands. Quinton stepped back and allowed Melody to stand on his head. He shielded his own face as Melody pointed at the glass. After a moment of silence, the glass shattered, and the girl was free. After the glass had finished pattering against the floor, the girl looked up to see us smiling at her. She stepped cautiously from the tube, focusing less on the glass on the floor and more on the strangers watching her.

"Thank you," she said, nevertheless, and bowed.

Quinton knelt beside her. "You're a Riolu, correct?" She nodded. "I would like you to join my team. I'd like to know you better, and I feel you'd be better with a family to help you."

She simply stared at him, so he continued. "I understand your apprehension, but I must assure you that I am not a scientist, and I wish only the best for my friends."

The Riolu was looking at him, but what we was saying wasn't getting through to her. The Riolu was staring intensely at Melody, with whom she was clearly communicating. After a while, in which many of the Moemon had scattered to clear the floor, Riolu finally nodded. "I'll join you."

Quinton pulled out a Moeball and handed it to her. The Riolu tapped it and was sealed inside. Immediately, Quinton sent her out and put the ball in his pocket.

"Most trainers don't let their Moemon walk with them," Riolu noted.

"We aren't like most trainers," was Quinton's reply. "However, we are not above naming our Moemon. For you, future Lucario, I believe Lucia would be a fitting name."

Lucia nodded, not reacting at the prospect of evolving, contrary to how Quinton hoped she'd react. The Riolu walked over to a group of Moemon and started talking to them. Us three humans stood together to watch our Moemon work.

"What's the plan, now?" Garrett asked.

Quinton looked around the lab. "Assuming the building doesn't fall around us, we should read some of these books, search for notes, and question Lucia about what this lab was doing here, and what its purpose was. And, while we're at it, why Team Rocket is still around."

* * *

><p>Arthur:<p>

Christine the Charmeleon

Stacy the Staravia

Mandy the Mankey

Rose the Budew

Olivia the Dewott

Kris the Kricketot

Garrett:

Gloria the Ralts

Jenny the Joltik

Hope the Houndour

Veela the Venonat

Lily the Petilil

Eileen the Goldeen

Quinton:

Melody the Beldum

Wendy the Wooper

Brianna the Shroomish

Flora the Pineco

Lucia the Riolu


	16. Chapter 15: The Pewter Lab

Chapter 15: The Pewter Lab

* * *

><p>Lucia got along well with the other Moemon. The more she spoke, the happier and friendlier she got. However, whenever Quinton came to speak to her, she grew noticeably colder and more distant, speaking without emotion, or with a hint of suspicion and fear. It was curious, how they look, nearly act, like us, to the three of us, yet to them, we're entirely separate species. I never understood what made such a difference, but it was enough to change the attitude of Lucia for a long time.<p>

Lucia had short blue hair which peaked in two places to resemble ears. Her bright red eyes were concealed behind a black mask which flopped behind her head like two long ears. She wore a yellow collar and a black shirt with a larger blue shirt underneath. Furthermore, she had rather inflated blue shorts and black sandals, with black stocks that came up past her shorts.

While the Moemon spoke with each other, us humans went straight to the bookshelf. There was some interesting information that Quinton pointed out: many of the texts dealt with studies on Psychic Moemon (there were no references to "Pokemon" in any novel) and the history of Kanto. There were books on its landscape and location in the world. There were hand-written journals from various scientists, none of whom we had heard of and many several years old.

We spent many hours scouring and skimming the books. The most recent entry described the scientists' vacating of the laboratory: there were a few dozen living in the surrounding area - mostly in Pewter City but a few in Cerulean – who had unanimously decided that their experiments were incredibly important to Team Rocket's future plans, but because of funding, something that all rallied against, they had to report back to the main base.

_"Location undisclosed in case this journal gets into the wrong hands, of course. We will pack whatever we can and leave by tomorrow. Some opted to release the Riolu, and I volunteered to do so, but I decided against it. We've treated the beast terribly, rightfully so, and I cannot risk our team's safety because of morality. It will survive for many months longer, and perhaps will survive until someone frees it. I pray for that poor victim's soul, for this menace has done unspeakable horrors to all of us._

_Until then, this is the final entry in this particular journal. One of my colleagues will burn all of the books, so this entry feels entirely pointless. I will not bring it along. I choose to abandon it, to abandon the horrors of what we attempted and failed to accomplish. This is Leonard Wood, signing off for the final time._

"'Unspeakable horrors'," Garrett repeated, glancing at Lucia. "Is he telling the truth?"

"Skim through it," I said. "It isn't long. Find out what she did?"

We gave him a few minutes. In the meantime, Quinton ordered us to pack as many books as we can.

"Obviously, the volunteer was too lazy, too proud, or too malevolent to let these go to waste," he explained. "He wanted someone to find these books and read them. They must be important."

"We're going to need larger backpacks," said Garrett. "We can't fit all of these. Not with our other stuff."

"And we're not sacrificing essentials for these books," I said firmly, eyeing Quinton in anticipation of argument.

"Take the smallest," said Quinton. "This will be our entertainment for the next few months."

Garrett protested, but I merely made room in my bag. I was interested in what Team Rocket was planning, and why they were focused primarily on Psychic Moemon. More importantly, why were they experimenting on Riolu, which wasn't a Psychic Moemon.

"Likely has to do with Mewtwo," said Quinton. "Perhaps they were cloning Mew once more."

"I want nothing to do with that," I said, terrified by the very thought.

* * *

><p>I heard the Moemon talking, so I subtly moved within earshot, pretending to pack the books.<p>

"They snatched you right from Iron Island?" Gloria asked, horrified.

"They stole me when I was an egg," Lucia confirmed. "Supposedly, I had a trainer. Someone who loved Lucarios and who had been living on the island for years. I'm sure I would've had a fantastic family. But when I hatched, it was in this lab in blinding light, being poked and prodded, shocked and burned, for weeks on end. Machines were clamped to my arms and legs daily, and I was forced to fight other Moemon who were far too strong. When I was inevitably defeated, they'd revive me and start the process all over again.

Lucia's head had dropped, and she was tearing. "They said I was defective. So they decided to let me go, but I was so angry that I bit one of them in the leg and scratched as much skin as I could. They recaptured me, and when the time came for them to leave, the scientist who I had attacked looked at me and grinned.

"'This is for my leg, you worthless bitch', were his words, and he shut the light and closed the door, leaving me alone. It has no doubt been months since they left. I'm hungry, and tired from crying so much. I can't trust them. I've thought about what they did to me, and I can't trust humans anymore. Your trainers. I'm grateful for what they've done, but you have to convince them to let me go. The one who's listening in on us-" I had deeply blushed at this point, but none of them even acknowledged me. "-He should understand. Whoever's closest to him: tell him and his friend to let me go."

"No," said Christine, slightly louder than normal. "You've never known a family or a home. We're not going to let you go, to live alone when you have an opportunity for safety and security, for love and compassion, with us. We'd be crueler to let you go than to let you live. Arthur's a fantastic trainer, and he'll love you like he loves us."

"He's not my trainer," Lucia replied. "You may say so, but I've heard stories. These scientists have Moemon of their own, and they say that they're treated with respect, with love, with compassion. And I can't believe that. They've been brainwashed, just like you likely have."

"You've never seen Arthur train us, then," Mandy growled, getting to her feet.

Immediately, Stacy placed a hand on her shoulder and forced her to the ground. "Christine's right," she said. "We can't blame her for her mistrust. But we can help her."

"Lucia, there are many of us who would die to see our trainers win," said Lily. "We've faced certain death and overcome because our trainers pushed us and believed in us. How could you call that brainwashing?"

"How could you call anything brainwashing when you haven't seen the outside of this lab?" Hope growled. "You, who doesn't even know how the scientists were outside the lab. They could've been the most caring people in the world, but you'd never know.

"I know what they did to me!" Lucia shouted. "I know the pain I went through, the suffering I endured, the starvation I faced, because of them. No one, human or Moemon, could be so two-faced as to love one creature and despise another and feel no guilt, no shame. To torture something, to torture me, and then go around and care and love for something else…" she was breaking into tears. "It's horrible!"

By this point, Quinton had heard, and he had run over to Lucia to pick her up. Seeing him, she yelped and jumped to her feet, kicking him in the shin when he reached for her. He grunted in pain and fell to his knees, and she backed away in mixed anger and horror.

"He wasn't going to ask," she said in justification. "He was going to pick me up and carry me somewhere without my say. I didn't know what he would do. It was self defense."

The Moemon were helping Quinton up, and he winced as he put weight on the foot. "I'm sorry," he said through strained eyes. "I should have asked. Lucia, would you like me to expla-"

"No. I don't want to hear you. Let me go and leave me alone."

Quinton shook his head. "I'm not going to do that."

Eileen walked up to Lucia to place a hand on her shoulder. "Look, I'm new here too. I don't know these people. But I like them."

Kris nodded and hopped up happily. She stood about a head shorter than the others. "I like them too!"

"You're stuck with us," said Gloria. "You might as well get used to it."

Lucia shook her head, but she didn't say anything. Eileen hugged her, reassuringly saying, "I understand." She walked back to her seat, and us humans stood above them, waiting for them to continue. The conversation had clearly ended, so we were forced by the awkward silence to finish packing.

We left a large pile of books on the lab floor, taking less than half of the books. Quinton seemed happy with our scavenging, however, and led with a smile on his face. He clearly couldn't wait to read what the scientists had been planning, and I couldn't wait for him to translate for us.

* * *

><p>Checking on the progress of the others, we saw that most had caught their Moemon for this route. The large group was heading straight toward Mt. Moon, and therefore was far ahead of us. Drew's group had gone North and was scavenging the forest.<p>

We decided that the straight path was the best path, heading East to follow the others. The others had stopped at the Moemon center outside Mt. Moon's entrance, no doubt to rest for the journey inside. The sun wouldn't set for another few hours, so we assumed that they would enter the cave relatively shortly.

The route was deserted. There were signs of battles that had once taken place – sets of scuffling footprints, small craters scattered everywhere, many tree branches cracked and broken – yet there were no trainers in sight.

However, there was a pack of Rattata sitting around a nearby tree. I assumed that they would be good experience, so I walked up to them. They stopped playing and stared at me curiously, their innocent expressions tempting me to ignore them and walk away.

"Kris," I said to my newcomer. "Are you ready to fight?"

Kris nodded. "I can't wait!"

"Right, then Struggle Bug the closest one."

Kris ran up to the nearest Rattata and flailed her arms wildly, whacking the Moemon multiple times. I pulled out my Moedex and found, to my horror, that the chosen Rattata was level 15, while my poor Kris was merely level 8.

"This was a bad idea," I whispered. "Kris, I'm switching you out. We'll need to train on weaker Moemon first."

"Okay!" Kris said, turning away from the Rattata and skipping back to me.

And then I saw the Rattata stand up.

The Rattata charged at Kris with incredible speed, while I screamed for Kris to dodge and scrambled for her ball. Kris turned at the exact moment she was struck, and she flew into the air and landed on the ground. I ran to her and flipped her over, seeing that her eyes were closed and she wasn't breathing.

The Moedex was in view, and I saw that her HP had turned to zero. "Oh my god," I said, with disbelief, horror, and every terrible emotion I could express. Then, a scream from behind me compounded in one of the most horrifying experiences I'd ever felt.

"You see!" Lucia shouted, pointing at me as the Rattatas scampered away and I tenderly picked up Kris' body. "That's why I don't want to join you! Look at her! She's dead! She hasn't even fainted! She's dead! You're one of Those People! Those Challengers or Competitors or whatever, who come into this place to slaughter innocents for your selfish prize!" She turned to the Moemon. "We have to escape! Tell them to let us free, so we don't have to suffer like-"

She was then punched in the stomach by Hope, and then tackled. "Quit being a coward! I'm sick of it! You don't think we realized this? This happens! This will happen all the time! You need to grow up and get used to it, or you'll be the one dying next! Now, quit crying, or I'll knock you so hard that you'll wake up after we've beaten the League!"

"You're an idiot," Lucia spat with venom. "You're an oblivious, optimistic idiot."

Hope raised her fist, but Stacy caught it and forced it to her side. "Hope," she said sternly. "Get off her and let her be."

"You, Stacy," Lucia said, in a completely different tone. "I respect you; you're intelligent and wise. Why are you here? You shouldn't be here."

Stacy looked at me with guilt in her eyes. "I'm looking for someone," she said quietly. "Which is why I'd rather not face distractions such as two of my teammates killing each other."

Lucia nodded. "See, Hope, the only reason she's here is because she has her own goal. Nobody wants to be here but you. But you're too blind to see it."

"I don't want to be here!" Hope growled. "Would you shut up about that! I was kidnapped from my home! Why would I want to stay with you guys? Especially after you keep nagging on everyone! We rescued you! Why aren't you grateful?"

"Kidnapped me from my safe tube, being forced to battle for some unachievable dream," Lucia replied. "And if you don't want to be here, why do you keep defending them? Shouldn't you hate them?"

Hope opened her mouth to argue, but found no words would escape. She kicked the ground in frustration and walked off.

"Is everyone done?" Quinton asked. "Does anyone else have any issues they'd like to resolve, or can we continue onwards?"

Melody, shockingly, raised her hand. "I'd like us to stop fighting with each other. Can we bury Kris, please?"

I had picked her up during the argument, but had forgotten about her. It had reminded me of my mistake, of my stupidity and foolishness. I doubt I would have ever seriously used her in my team, but her cheerful attitude made me want to see her in action. I didn't know her long, but I respected her for being one of the few to walk up to us, to volunteer.

I fear that if Lucia had known that Kris hadn't been 'kidnapped', her rampage would never have subsided. She would have demanded to be released until we complied, for as long as it took until we did. Her points were valid, and they got me thinking more about whether we were right in taking on this journey. The fact that they were little girls never escaped me, and it made these deaths so much more painful. The fact that it was my mistake made it almost too much to bear.

It was a small notion, but appreciated greatly nevertheless, but as I walked over to a nearby tree, Christine held my shoulder all the way.

* * *

><p>Arthur:<p>

Christine the Charmeleon

Stacy the Staravia

Mandy the Mankey

Rose the Budew

Olivia the Dewott

Garrett:

Gloria the Ralts

Jenny the Joltik

Hope the Houndour

Veela the Venonat

Lily the Petilil

Eileen the Goldeen

Quinton:

Melody the Beldum

Wendy the Wooper

Brianna the Shroomish

Flora the Pineco

Lucia the Riolu


	17. Chapter 16: Kris

Chapter 16: Kris

* * *

><p>The digging of the grave took little time, as everybody pitched in to help. Despite knowing her only a few hours, the Moemon felt a kinship with Kris, and all, even Lucia, were compelled to help. As we placed her body into the grave, Lily stepped forward.<p>

"I wish we could have known you longer," she said. "Discovered who you truly were. You were brave and loyal until the end, and you never got a chance to sign. You'll remind us in the future to be careful, to ensure we make no mistakes. Because even one mistake can end a life."

It was a jab at me, but I felt too much remorse to care. It's so hard, Sis, to watch someone die. To know that it's your fault, and if you had just done one thing different, she would be standing on your shoulder, happily pointing out the landscape, rather than being the landscape. I hope you never have to feel such pain.

Kris wasn't able to tell us much about her. For her entire life, she lived with her mother and three older sisters, all of whom had turned into Kricketunes by the time she left. She was sheltered by her mother, because of her size and curiosity, and as a result grew bored with her life. She sought excitement and adventure; she desired a Trainer who would take her to the League and give her mother something to be proud of. She ran away from home to pursue her dream, but instead of a Trainer, she got me.

We marked the tree she rested underneath with her name, and we found two branches which curled at the tips to resemble antennae to place on top of her.

Throughout the ordeal, I could feel many pairs of eyes watching me, judging me, worried for me and for themselves. The guilt I felt was compounded by the blame they gave, and every command I gave thereafter would be followed with apprehension.

They tried comforting me, Quinton and Garrett, saying that I couldn't have known the Rattata's strength, that Kricketots weren't strong Moemon to begin with, that I made the right move but couldn't avoid the rules. Nothing helped. I'm sure they were trying their best to cheer me up, but there was nothing they could do at the moment.

There was something that I had to know. I turned to my five Moemon and asked, in a timid, fearful voice, "Do you still believe in me?"

All five answered in the affirmative, with Christine and Mandy pumping fists in the air. And that did wonders. Their confidence, despite this tragedy, gave me the reason to continue. I would mourn, but I wouldn't stand still and hold the others back. I took a deep, satisfying breath, gave one last look at Kris' grave, as a reminder for the future, and told the others that I was ready.

* * *

><p>As we continued down the route, I began thinking about Stacy's reason for coming. It was strange to see her seem so emotional, even afraid. It made me worry for her.<p>

"Stacy?" I asked, trying to sound as helpful as possible. "Who are you looking for?"

Stacy wouldn't look at me, and her voice remained cold and distant. "A family friend."

"Where will we find him?"

"Celadon, likely."

"And if we don't?"

"I'll continue with you until we do."

"And if we do?"

There was a pause. "Well, I am your Moemon."

I felt somewhat relieved, but her answer didn't satisfy me. With time, I would get more answers out of her. But I could sense an obvious lack of desire to compete in the League. I worried for that future event, for Stacy's reaction to it and her eventual decision. If she stayed, would it be because I forced her to stay or because she felt an obligation. If she left, would it be because she really did use me, or would it be temporary?

The others. They were hiding something. "While we're walking," I said. "Is anyone else searching for something? We might be able to direct our journey in a particular direction to help."

There was silence. They were definitely hiding something. The few conversations which were happening were silenced by my question. I shook my head but didn't say a word. If they didn't want to speak, then I would be patient until they did. Their silence worried me, however, and I felt that there was a wall to prevent our trust.

I reminded myself of our relatively short relationships. Nobody would tell someone his or her life story after only a few days, no matter how short it is. Even Christine, who trusted me the most, refused to respond to my questions. She simply smiled or said, "Later".

"Has anyone been in Mt. Moon?" I asked, trying to change the subject. Melody and Mandy raised their hands.

"I was born there," Melody said. "I lived there for most of my life."

"I explored there a while ago," Mandy explained. "Don't know much about the place, but I know the path through the exits well enough."

I nodded at Mandy, but I was intrigued by Melody. My curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to pursue this information. I stepped closer to her, to which Quinton awkwardly looked away. Melody shriveled slightly, ducking behind Quinton's hair.

"Did you have a family?" I asked. "How old are you?"

Melody didn't answer, shrinking further away at each question. I didn't want to give up. Any bit of information, I felt, would be nice.

"Did you have any friends growing up? Were your parents nice?"

Melody shook her head, and at this point Quinton was getting annoyed. He nudged me away and glared at me.

I shook my head in frustration. I didn't like being ignored, having my questions go unanswered. I couldn't understand why nobody told me anything. Not at the moment, anyway. In time, I'd understand, but at that moment I was wallowing in anger.

* * *

><p>The journey through the Route was surprisingly uneventful. I wanted there to be a trainer battle every few miles, for some training and variety, but nobody was waiting. Not even another Hunter, whose introduction still worried me. I thought that the others had cleared them out before us, but then we would have caught up with them. They were still in the Center near Mt. Moon, and they had been there for hours. There must have been something keeping them from entering; otherwise, they would have been through the cave.<p>

As we came upon the Center, we noticed construction vehicles scattered along the mountain, with yellow and black tape wrapped around various holes and piles of rubble. Floodlights flashed on as the sun dipped behind the mountain, bathing everything in a while light that, for a moment, scared me into thinking someone else had fallen.

As we entered the Center, we were greeted by the others, who were standing around and entertaining each other. Everyone was here, now, and they explained the situation:

"The mountain's been having cave-ins for weeks, now," said Max. "So, they're halting us until they get it fixed."

"That's horrible timing," noted Quinton. "Have they estimated when everything will be in order?"

"Two months," said Max, shrugging. He noted our disappointment and said, "I know, guys, I know. We all had the same reaction. It's disappointing, but we still haven't explored Viridian. We could go back there for a month or so, then come back when traffic's moving."

"Unacceptable," said Stacy. "Two months is far too long. Surely your Moemon must feel the same."

Max nodded, looking down at Stacy with a curious expression on his face. "Of course they did. They've been trying to convince us to go through the mountain despite the warnings. But, when we tried, a gigantic, muscular man stood in front of us, ordering us to get back."

"We're not letting one man stop us," said Christine. "You'd better get everyone ready, because we're breaking through tonight."

I chuckled. "The Moemon have spoken," I said. "You might as well follow us, or you'll be two months behind us."

"Well, I can't let that happen," said Max. "But, are you sure you want to risk it?"

"That man you described works for Team Rocket," said Melody, her eyes glowing. "And they're planning something in my home. We're absolutely sure."

"Team Rocket?" Max repeated. "Ah, so we really are in the game's world. We'll be defeating Giovanni in no time."

"No, Max. The scary thing is: this is eight years after the original games. Team Rocket's at it a third time."

* * *

><p>It didn't take much persuasion to convince the others to follow us that night, especially after we mentioned Team Rocket. If there's one organization that people know to despise, it's Team Rocket. After feeding ourselves and getting prepared, we vanished from the Center. Melody led the way, led our gigantic group of sixty, toward one of the holes. As we reached the entrance, she stopped, turned around, and floated so that she was in view of everyone.<p>

"There were rock slides many years ago," she said. "They were dangerous, disastrous, and terrible. They may not be as frequent, and they may even be a cover up for whatever Team Rocket is doing in there. It doesn't matter. It's not our job to stop them, whatever they're planning. If you see them, try to stay out of sight."

"You say that," said Drew. "But it's hard to do that with sixty of us."

"And a ten-year old could beat them years ago," said Nick. "Why would they be a threat to all of us?"

"Just ignore them," whispered Quinton, as he could see Melody's confidence waning. "You're absolutely right."

She looked at him and nodded. "Then fight Team Rocket, and see where that gets you. But remember: if you fight, you could cause this entire mountain to rain down on you."

That was it. I was watching Melody, and I saw her flinch at the thought. I had to ask her about it when we entered. For now, I watched as she turned around, floated back onto Quinton's shoulder, and pointed the way. Quinton led us into the hole, light immediately dissipating as the mountain's border was crossed. Christine's tail was the largest source of light, illuminating a large area around her, but she wasn't enough to let everyone see.

"Anyone have something we could use as a torch?" I heard someone ask. Many people fluttered through packs and bags for flammable items. Other than bits of leftover paper, which wouldn't last long after being set aflame, there was nothing we could use.

"Well, Team Rocket can't be roaming around in the dark," Garrett whispered. "They'll have set up lights."

"The more lights we see, the closer to Team Rocket we get," I replied.

"Melody," I whispered. "How long has it been since you entered this mountain?"

She turned to me, and I could feel her peering into my mind. It was the first time I felt this sensation. It felt unnerving, but strangely empowering. There was a connection that grew as she delved. I had to ask her inside my head what she was doing. As if echoing throughout my head, she responded:

"I'm looking for why you're so curious."

"You think I have some motive besides wanting to know my friends?" I asked accusingly.

She shook her head in real life, and said in a slight panic, "Nothing of the sort! I want to know you, too, and I haven't had a good reason. Let me inside, and I will tell you. I will tell all of you."

I nodded, closed my eyes, and held the hand of the person of my right to guide me. I felt the hand close around me, and I let Melody into my head. I don't know what she saw, but she fell silent for several minutes before telling me she was done.

When I opened my eyes, I looked to my right to see Christine smiling at me, her hand clasped around mine. It was comforting, the heat from her hand, so I smiled back and let her hold it. I turned my attention to Melody, curious as to what she would explain, when she would do it. She was looking straight ahead, silently directing Quinton, no doubt delving inside his head as she did mine.

Quinton and Melody shared a strong connection which nobody else could notice. This was what I wanted to achieve with my questions. Why was so grateful that Melody was going to open up. I believed that having a stronger friendship would make us – whether 7 or 21 – a stronger team. I looked for Garrett, and he was holding Gloria in his arms. I looked to my right, seeing Christine illuminated by the light of her tail. Our love for our starter Moemon would obviously be our strongest and fastest growing, but was amazing to me was that they were blooming so quickly.

* * *

><p>It was over an hour into our walk before we reached a fork. Melody was frustrated, as I heard her whispering to Quinton in a rushed, irritated tone. Quinton signaled me over, and I let go of Christine's hand to join him. I suppose it's worth mentioning that Christine clearly didn't want to let go, and she held on until my hand left hers completely.<p>

"Both paths are blocked," Quinton said.

"Are there side passages we missed?" I asked. "Or can we risk digging through one of them."

Melody pointed to my left. "There's a passage over there, but it leads us through a large movement."

"Machinery movement?" I asked. "Can you tell?"

Melody shook her head. "Earth, rocks, especially those of my home, are easy to sense. I can't sense any Moemon or people. To me, it's a large amount of rock shuddering."

"Is there no other way?"

"Aside from traveling out of the mountain and into another hole, no."

I shrugged. "Then, I suppose we have no choice."

Melody floated into the air to get everyone's attention. "We've come across a detour, so the path we're taking is less comfortable that what we're used to. Keep your head low and your body tucked tight. It's a narrow crack. Please keep quiet as well. Whatever is in that passage, it's making a lot of movement."

"I call it if it's an Onix!" A voice shouted, followed by a laugh from the group.

"You'll also call it if it's a Zubat!" Another voice countered.

"Where are the Moemon," Garrett wondered aloud. "We should've found a thousand Zubats by this point."

"Cave-ins might have scared some off," I suggested. "Other Moemon might have moved in on their territory."

"Or," said Stacy. "This could be the work of a hypocritical organization of greed and hatred, forcing Moemon out of their homes."

I blinked. "Stacy?"

Stacy walked away. I couldn't remember seeing her so upset. I tried following, but I lost her in the crowd.

"You should understand that her reaction isn't without reason," said Rose.

I sighed. I realized she must've been through some pain. But even though they reference her past, they still would not tell me. I didn't know how long this would go on, how many references I wouldn't understand.

The group was heading through the side passage, trying to keep as quiet as possible. We had to go in one at a time, due to the narrowness of the path. I had wanted to stay behind to talk to Stacy, but Christine told me to talk about it outside the mountain and pushed me toward the front. As I walked, back against the rugged wall, feet scraping the rock, back hunched over to avoid the ceiling, I noticed Christine intentionally trying to grab my hand. Hands had to be forced against the rock, to feel our way along the path, but every so often I would see her hand reach out for mine. I'd feel the heat and immediately recoil, keeping my eyes fixed firmly ahead when I did so.

I could understand why she was doing this: I greatly enjoyed her heat as she enjoyed mine. What bothered me was her desire to make it seem like an accident, because that gave way to far too many implications which I, as an eighteen year old male, would have liked, but would have liked to avoid.

So I kept my hand as close to me as I could, and only when I reached the exit and was able to stand up straight, out of instinctive politeness did I grab Christine's arms to help her through, as I tried to do for all of the others.

I got glances of the area we had entered as I pulled people through. It was a definite dig site, with floodlights surrounding the dome-like area, bulldozers and drills and dump trucks scattered around, and small buildings painting a picture similar to a summer camp. What amazed me, once I had finished with all sixty or so people, was its immense size. This was an entire base.

"Yep," I heard a voice next to me. "This is definitely Team Rocket."

* * *

><p>Arthur:<p>

Christine the Charmeleon

Stacy the Staravia

Mandy the Mankey

Rose the Budew

Olivia the Dewott

Garrett:

Gloria the Ralts

Jenny the Joltik

Hope the Houndour

Veela the Venonat

Lily the Petilil

Eileen the Goldeen

Quinton:

Melody the Beldum

Wendy the Wooper

Brianna the Shroomish

Flora the Pineco

Lucia the Riolu


	18. Chapter 17: Melody

Chapter 17: Melody

* * *

><p>Thankfully for us, we were fairly quiet sneaking into the base. Thus, our entrance woke up nobody. I couldn't tell if there were guards or sentries; the base looked deserted. It was nearly silent. The only thing that assured us that there were people inside those buildings was the guard posted outside the mountain.<p>

"We have to see what they're doing here," came a voice. "This is just like the games!"

"It's nothing like the games," Quinton countered. "This is eight years after the games."

"They're in Mt. Moon a second time?"

"Whatever they're looking for, they didn't find it last time."

"Must be something important. If we find it, we'll be able to stop them."

"That's a risk we can't take," said Quinton. "If we get caught, we'll get the entire base raining down on us."

"And we'll beat their Rattata and Zubat. They were pathetic in the games. They'll be pathetic now."

"Who's arguing," demanded Quinton, his voice rising dangerously high as he searched for the voice. "I want to talk to him face to face."

The person who stepped forward was Nick, and he stood a head taller than Quinton, staring him down. "Talk," Nick demanded.

"You are an idiot," Quinton stated. "Your plan would get us all killed. You don't understand that this isn't like the games. They wouldn't send grunts with low level Moemon to a base like this. They'd send guards with weapons and, if not that, with Moemon far too strong for us to fight. We would be caught, interrogated, tortured, and then killed because we found this place. Our best bet is to leave this place. Contact the police."

"And now I counter," Nick said. "You act like this isn't Team Rocket, an organization led by idiots who were stopped by ten year old boys. Twice. They wouldn't have weapons; they'd be as dumb as they were in the games. And as for contacting the police: would you expect them to believe that Team Rocket is back, again? They wouldn't believe us. Police never believe teenagers, no matter how many they are."

"You think they wouldn't investigate possible terrorist activity?" Quinton asked. "You think they'd ignore cries for help from sixty of us?"

"You think they'd believe a story about a secret underground base from a team that hasn't been news in nearly a decade? We need proof! Our eyes aren't enough."

"Getting proof would be too dangerous. We wouldn't be able to stop their plan, anyway. No doubt they're around the world by now, not even close to Kanto or Johto."

"Fine," submitted Nick, raising his arms. "I won't convince you. I, however, am going down there to see what they're planning."

"You're going to die, or get us all in trouble."

"They haven't caught us with your screaming. This place is likely abandoned. Or else we'd have been caught."

Quinton blushed slightly. "And the guard outside? Is he being paid to guard nothing?"

"Wouldn't be the first time that's happened," Nick said. He turned to the group. "Choose your side. I'd like to be the hero for once. Have as much fame as Red. Anyone else?"

Thankfully, there was a nearly-unanimous shaking of heads. Even Drew came forward to say, "Nick, stop it. It's suicide."

Nick shook his head in disappointment. "Fine. Heroes always work better solo."

Nick called his Moemon to him and, before anyone could stop him, slid down the dirt hill to ground level, dropping to his knees and stealthily watching.

"We should go," said Melody. "Before he alerts everyone to our presence."

"You said there was movement," Quinton whispered. "There's nothing there."

"They aren't asleep," Melody replied. "They're in the largest building. All of them."

* * *

><p>We walked along the outer ring, which was a large incline that overlooked the entire base. We walked quickly, parallel to Nick as he crept to the largest building: made of rusted metal and a broken roof, with glassless windows. It was a wonder they didn't hear us. No doubt, whatever they were doing in the building, they were making much more noise than us.<p>

Melody led us halfway around the base, where we came upon another, larger crack. It still forced us to go in one at a time, but I volunteered to go last, keeping a close eye on Nick.

"If he gets caught," whispered Mandy. "Are we going to save him?"

I shook my head. "As much as I want to, I can't risk it."

"You don't want to be a hero?" Mandy asked, sarcastically.

I wasn't a hero. I wasn't selfless. I wanted to live, and I wanted Nick to pay for his choice. I watched him crawl up to the window and inch his head up it, peering into the building. He watched for many minutes, until he suddenly jumped into the building. His Moemon hopped after him, and I was left stunned.

"Was he pulled in?" I asked, turning to each side to gauge my Moemons' reactions.

"He jumped," said Stacy, calmly, turning to the crevice. "He's on his own."

"I don't want to leave him," said Olivia. "Can't we stay a few minutes? Make sure he's safe?"

"If he brings the entire base raining down on us, I'll blame you for making us stay," said Mandy.

"The others left quite a while ago," said Rose. "We will be left behind if we stay any longer."

I was torn. I didn't want to abandon him, but I didn't want to risk my life any longer. It took Christine's hand on my shoulder, and her saying, "Let's go." to convince me to leave. I wished Nick the best of luck, and followed my Moemon into the crevice.

* * *

><p>After a lot of running and crashing into walls, it was obvious that we were lost. I groaned, angry at myself for staying and Nick for forcing me to stay. I kicked the wall, hurting myself greatly but diffusing much of my anger. I calmed down.<p>

"Okay, Mandy, are we somewhere you recognize?" I asked.

Mandy shook her head. "I took the left fork," she said, referring to when we decided to go into the crack. "Turned right, walked a bit, left, walked a bit, left again, left again, right, left, right, down-"

"Thank you," I said. "We'll find our way out eventually, I'm sure. Let's walk slowly, though, so we don't crash into walls."

"You and your human eyes," said Christine, joking. "Can't even see in the dark."

"You can't talk," I said, pointing at her tail. "You're cheating."

She gasped. "You accuse me of cheating? Evolution, my dear. Survival of the fittest."

"Hush," I shook my head and smiling. "You're making Mandy and Rose feel bad."

Mandy blinked. "Why bring me into this? I can see fine, too, and I don't need an evolution!"

"Could you see our intruder?" Rose asked, pointing down the path.

Mandy tensed and jumped into her fighting stance: her arms stretched out at head level, poised to strike. My Moemon jumped around me, creating a wall between me and the intruder. I got out the Dex to see what it was.

"Well, this is some good news," I said happily. The Dex was showing a picture of a Pokemon that I was hoping to see. The Moemon form shortly stepped into the light, watching us curiously, if frightfully.

I dropped to my knees, carefully, sensing its fear and wanting to show that I wasn't to be feared. My Moemon realized this, and took steps backward to give us as much room as we needed.

"Hello, there," I said pleasantly. "Would you like to join us?"

She blinked, looking at us in awe, slowly turning around to all six of us. She turned back to me, her mouth agape, gulped, and replied, "You want m-me?"

I nodded, smiling. "Of course! It's not often that someone as brave as yourself walks up to a group like us. You'd be perfect!"

She looked behind her, staring for a few second, seemed to sense something, and nodded. "Okay," she whispered, stepped forward and dropping her gaze.

I pulled out a ball and tossed it at her, deliberately undershooting it so that it would hit the ground and roll to her feet. It tapped her, and she transformed into the familiar red light. The ball rolled gently twice before blinking, and lay unmoving on the rock.

"An Aron is exactly what we need," I said, walking over to pick up the ball. "Don't think we could've been any luckier."

"How about an Aggron?" Mandy suggested. I rubbed her head in response.

"We can't ask for too much," I replied.

"How about Groundon?"

"Am I right in thinking that she's been through a lot, to get to be so cautious and nervous," I said. "Or is it simply because we're too threatening?"

"Definitely the former," Christine replied. "She was running from something."

"Should we be worried?"

"One way to find out," Christine said. "Let her tell us."

I nodded and threw the ball. The Aron appeared in a flash of white, blinking and rubbing her eyes. Her white bowl-cut was dirty and scraggly, much like her loose, grey dress which was patterned like the underside of a shell. She carried around a white, solid steel backpack and held onto its straps constantly, and while speaking privately to the Moemon she rubbed the straps rapidly, subconsciously.

This was expected, though I was definitely disappointed. I wanted to be invited to their conversation, but they quickly told me that it was me who she was most nervous about in our group. I simply shook my head, making sure to smile to assure Aron that I wasn't upset with her. I knew how to act around people with clear confidence issues; making her feel upset or guilty of anything would be the wrong way to act.

Instead, I thought of a name. It wasn't hard, and I thought of it immediately, but I wanted to reveal it after they had finished their talk. Instead, I scouted around, feeling around the wall for passages and cracks. I turned sharply at one point and heard a clatter as my backpack hit the wall. And then I realized:

"We're complete idiots," I said, pulling out a flashlight from my backpack. "Why did we not use these? Are we insane?"

The flashlight helped greatly, and I was able to see a clear passage. I walked back to the Moemon to explain, to get a laugh, but they were huddled closer than ever, many of them wrapping their arms around the Aron, comforting her. I bit my lip, watching them jealously.

"Must be nice to be accepted so quickly like that," I said. "Shame it rarely happens in real life."

"We're quick to become family," came a familiar voice from behind. I turned to see Melody floating behind me. She was looking at the ground, clearly nervous about something. "It helps, when we have to face so much."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "I'm glad to see you, by the way."

"We found the exit," she said, dodging the question. "So I came back to search for you all. It seems you also found a new friend."

"Also?"

"Garrett captured Sandy, the Scraggy; Quinton captured Willow the Bonsly. After passing the arena, toward the exit, we came across a large group of Moemon congregating in a small area. They allowed our Trainers to recruit some of the youngest, the first ones they came across."

"Well, that was nice," I said, looking at the Aron. "Our friend must've come from there, too."

Melody didn't respond. I turned back to her to see her drop her gaze, staring at the ground with wet eyes.

"You wanted to know my past," she said quietly. "I suppose now is the best time, the most appropriate time."

* * *

><p><em>Five years ago, a pair of Beldums were floating through one of the many caverns of Mt. Moon, playing a joyful game of Tag as they waited for their parents to catch up. Two Metagrosses walked slowly behind them, gossiping with each other, holding each other's arms in a warm embrace.<em>

_One Beldum, the youngest and smallest, charged at the other in an attempt to tag her, but the oldest, wise to her sister's strategies, floated backward, causing her to crash into the wall. She rubbed her head, tears developing in her eyes, as her sister held her gently, shushing her._

"_I'm sorry," she said gently. "I didn't mean for you to get hurt."_

"_I-it's fine," the younger said, sniffing and rubbing her nose. "I'm not hurt, I feel great."_

"_Really?" Her sister replied, skeptically. "Even after hitting the wall?" She eyed the wall, which had dented and cracked from the impact._

"_We are made of steel, you know," the younger replied, enjoying the comfort of her sister's embrace and relishing her next move. "But, you should also know, you're It!" And with the revelation of her glorious deception, she leapt from her sister's arms and rocketed away, leaving her stunned._

_The Metagrosses sensed danger incoming, and they stopped their playful banter to rush toward their children. They grabbed the older, searching desperately for the older._

"_Where's your sister?" One asked, her voice betraying her worry._

_The Beldum, having never seen her mother like this, pointed down the tunnel silently. Carrying her tightly, the pair rushed down the tunnel, using all of their power to search for their missing child._

_Said child was hiding around a stalactite, snickering at her cleverness. It was then that she felt the rumble, the earthquake of monstrous proportions which shook the entire mountain. She saw the tunnel wobble and crack, and instinct forced her to find her family. She charged back the way she came and nearly crashed into her family._

"_Get close," her mothers warned her. "We'll protect you!"_

_They didn't mention their fear. Now that they had their children, they knew everything would be okay. They got onto their stomachs, making sure to cover their children completely, each mother holding a daughter._

"_What's going on?" The younger Beldum whispered frightfully. "Are we going to die?"_

"_No, we will not," said her mother calmly, looking directly into her daughter's eyes and smiling warmly. "We will be safe. Don't you worry. We'll protect you."_

_The Beldum nodded and hugged her mother tightly. It was then that the ceiling gave to the trembling and collapsed, smothering the family completely._

_Several hours later, the Beldum awoke to complete darkness. Only the muffled sounds of voices told her that she was still alive. There was a scraping and a bit of pressure as she felt small quakes above. She shook her mother, whispering for her to wake up._

"_Mother," she said. "I'm scared. Please, wake up."_

_And then she felt the absence of breath, the lack of heat. The realization slowly came to her, and tears welled up as she shook her mother harder and harder. She nearly screamed for her, pleading for her to wake up, to protect her, to talk to her, to reassure her that everything was okay. _

_It took hours before the young Beldum realized her mother's departure. She started digging through the rubble, slowly knocking small rocks and clumps of dirt aside, using her little psychic abilities to detect the best possible path. After many more hours of digging through many feet of rubble, the Beldum breached the surface. She looked around. It was light, out. She looked up and was immediately blinded by the floodlights which decorated the tunnel. This foreign object frightened her, and she desperately wanted to run._

_But she couldn't. She had to check on her sister. If she left now, she would never forgive herself. She started digging, dropping to her knees and scooping as much dirt as she could in an effort to free her sister faster and to escape from the foreign light. She dug only a few handfuls before she heard a loud, deep voice shout and echo throughout the cave. She panicked, torn between escape and rescue. _

_It took one red and white ball to decide for her. She felt herself lighting up, torn from her sister, trapped inside a small, tight space. She pounded against the sides of the ball, shrieking for her captor to let her to, to save her sister. She pounded as hard as she could, feeling the walls start to give way. But she had been digging for hours, and she was exhausted beyond reason. As the walls stuck firm and refused to give, she collapsed, and slept._

_She lost all track of time in that ball, and it seemed like she slept for years. In fact, she had. She was trapped in that ball for five years, not knowing what was going to happen to her, or if she was going to escape. Her home had been destroyed, invaded by things alien to her. Her family was dead, and it was her fault that she couldn't save them. If she hadn't run from her sister, if she had stuck with her family, she knew that they could have escaped before the ceiling collapsed._

* * *

><p>"I lived with the guilt for all of these years," she said, slowly and carefully. "It took Quinton's constant love and attention, and coming back to my home, for me to realize that this wasn't my fault. I couldn't have known what would happen.<p>

"The Moemon ahead. They used to know me and my family. They've grown up. They haven't heard from my mothers or my sister ever since that tunnel collapsed. They told me that it was the first of many, and shortly after, Team Rocket moved in. They invaded the homes of my friends, destroyed their lives and killed their families as well."

She looked at me with malice in her eyes. "Team Rocket killed my family, Arthur. Team Rocket ruined my life."

It was then that a familiar figure jumped from the crack, stumbling into the light, his arms filled with papers and a victorious grin on his face.

"I did it," said Nick. "I got everything!"

* * *

><p>Arthur:<p>

Christine the Charmeleon

Stacy the Staravia

Mandy the Mankey

Rose the Budew

Olivia the Dewott

Aron

Garrett:

Gloria the Ralts

Jenny the Joltik

Hope the Houndour

Veela the Venonat

Lily the Petilil

Eileen the Goldeen

Sandy the Scraggy

Quinton:

Melody the Beldum

Wendy the Wooper

Brianna the Shroomish

Flora the Pineco

Lucia the Riolu

Willow the Bonsly


	19. Chapter 18: Mt Moon

Chapter 18: Mt. Moon

* * *

><p>I got to my feet, backing away from him, looking at the papers in his arms. He was sweaty and dirty, with a face filled with glee. The adrenaline was pumping, and he was breathing deeply and excitedly.<p>

"I can't wait," he said. "I can't risk losing any of these papers. We have to read them now."

"Easy, Nick," I said, trying to get him to be silent. "It's not a good idea to stay in this mountain for long. We should leave now that you're safe."

Nick shook his head. "We have to see what's in these papers! It can't wait!"

"Yes, it can. You can hold onto them until we reach Cerulean," as Nick shook his head again, I added, "or, at the very least, until we've exited the mountain."

"What are you worried about? Why are you against finding out what Team Rocket is doing here?"

"Because we're still in the mountain, and they're still in the mountain," I was nearly shouting by this point. "If they find out, if they catch us, we will be killed!"

"You're scared of Team Rocket," said Nick, mockingly. "You act like they're a threat. What have they done to make you think that?"

I was irritated at his persistence, and it showed in my sarcastic tone. "Let's see here: They sold Pokemon as prizes in Celadon for countless years, no doubt making millions of dollars in profit, they took over Silph Co with ease, controlling one of the most powerful manufacturers in this world, they created Mewtwo, one of the most powerful Pokemon of all time-"

"And they were stopped," interrupted Nick, slowly and deliberately. "Every time. By a ten year old boy. Everytime, they used pathetic Pokemon, given to terrible grunts. Every time, they were defeated."

"And they learned from their mistakes," I countered. "In the first games, they had a public face in Viridian's Giovanni, they worked in popular places in dangerous cities. They took huge risks, resulting in their downfall. In the sequels, they're quieter, working in smaller areas, doing research in a far off town. They fell when they took another huge risk."

"All you've done is prove that they haven't changed," said Nick. "They didn't learn from their mistake; they fell trying to take over another building in the largest city in the region. And they are quieter because they're weaker, because their organization was disbanded after their plans failed. And now they're working in a cave, the most pathetic location of all."

I was flustered, failing to find an argument despite believing I was right, when Nick went in for the kill. "You may know more about strategy," said Nick. "But I know when people have fallen from glory. Team Rocket is not a threat."

He then demanded, "So sit down and read with me."

I decided to drop the argument, and I shook my head in response. "No." I turned to my Moemon. "Ready to go?"

They had all gotten to their feet and were glaring at Nick. Many of them nodded. I walked over to the Aron and picked her up, saying softly, "Ready to leave the cave?"

The Aron nodded, still looking at Nick, anticipating something that I didn't notice. I turned, and Nick grabbed me by the shoulder, dropping a bunch of papers, and forced me against a rock. Immediately, my Moemon jumped to my side and pushed Nick off of me.

"I risked my life for this, and you aren't even going to look at it?" He demanded, bending down to pick up the scattered papers.

"If you're so confident in Team Rocket's worthlessness, then you can afford to wait a few seconds longer," I replied. "Not like, according to you, they'd ever notice, right?"

Nick picked up whatever was in the light, and walked off silently. Christine and Stacy stood in between us as we followed him, no doubt keeping a careful eye on him and his trailing Moemon.

It took a while before I remembered what I was going to tell the Aron. I looked down at her in my arms and whispered, "Do you want to know what I'm going to call you?"

She nodded slowly, her eyes widening. "Annie," I said.

"Annie," she replied softly. She nodded once more. "Annie."

* * *

><p>It wasn't long before we neared the exit, noticing a faint light at the end of the tunnel. However, along the path, we reached a wide, open cavern with numerous pairs of white eyes blinking at us. I told Christine to point her tail into the cavern, revealing numerous Moemon along the floor.<p>

It was horrifying. The cavern was wide, no doubt dug out by the Moemon who rested inside, but there were far too many Moemon for there to be any room. The entire floor was covered in little girls and young women, all covered in dirt and trying to find some comfort from the light. This was the result of Team Rocket's takeover; all of these lives forced into a small, claustrophobic area.

A pair of Geodudes hopped out from the crowd, and Melody dropped down to them.

"Goodbye," said one, hugging her tightly.

"Good luck," said the other.

"Be strong, you two," said Melody. "When I come back, we'll take our cave back. Keep training, but keep safe."

"We'll protect this cave for you," said one.

"You keep safe, too."

As we walked away, I whispered to Melody, "Were they friends?"

"Family friends," replied Melody. "I knew them for years before my capture." She paused, deep in thought. "I don't want to leave them."

I reached for her, pausing slightly before touching her shoulder in, what I hoped to be, a reassuring gesture. "When you come back, you'll be incredibly powerful. You'll make your parents and your sister proud."

Melody turned to me, a great smile on her face. "Thank you."

* * *

><p>We exited the cave, blinded immediately by the bright sunlight. It hadn't felt like we were in the mountain for long, but apparently we had been in there for many hours. When I realized this fact, I felt exhausted, and my legs weakened. I looked around the entrance for signs of the others, but after seeing nobody I pulled out the Dex.<p>

"They're at Cerulean," I said. "Even Nick. How is that even possible?"

"He must've been in a hurry to show the others," said Stacy.

"Then we won't be able to read," pouted Mandy. "I was curious."

"We're in last place, now," noted Olivia.

"I suppose we might as well concede," said Rose. "We'll never be on pace with them."

"They'll spend a month in Cerulean," said Christine. "We'll catch up."

"Actually," I said, noting the Dex. "Three of them have beaten the gym leader already."

Several of them shouted in disbelief, to which I replied, "I'm kidding. They're asleep in the hotel."

I received a punch in the shoulder, and then four more. Annie looked horrified as I stumbled forward exaggeratedly, stopping several feet in front of them.

"Don't hurt him," she shouted angrily, jumping from my arms onto my shoulder and glaring at them from my back. I turned around to see my Moemon with mixtures of pride and disbelief.

"I like her," said Christine. "She has a fire in her."

"It's fine," I said to Annie. "They didn't hurt me. We were playing."

"Oh," said Annie, blushing. "Okay."

I looked at the ground and found a paper lying on the grass. I picked it up and struggled to read the cryptic scrawl. There was a diagram of a large diamond-shaped object with various measurements dotting the page.

"This is literally the worst handwriting I have ever seen," I said, squinting in a vain attempt to decipher the hieroglyphics. I soon gave up, putting the paper in a pocket. "Nick must've been in a hurry if he didn't bother to pick up a page."

It wasn't the first. There was a trail of papers leading from the cave to Cerulean, which we collected as we encountered them. They were completely random: bits taken from reports and journals, many containing diagrams, written by several people whose handwriting I could read. Unfortunately, what I collected made no sense, so I was forced by curiosity to find Nick and have him explain.

There was a field of tall grass in front of the city gates, but a loud grumble from my stomach told me that I could catch something later. At the moment, all I wanted was to sleep and eat.

However, my much deserved rest was postponed by two tall, snide men. They looked at me suspiciously as soon as I came into view, and one put away a cell phone as the other stepped forward, placing his hand out to halt me.

"I'm going to have to check your bag," said one, in a voice much deeper than I was expecting.

I didn't move. "What for?" I asked with equal suspicion.

"We got reports of a robbery," explained the other, in a weasel-like, high pitched voice. "Missing documents from the local museum."

This stunned me, and my expression showed. They grew excited as I handed over my bag. I tried to play off my surprise: "This city has a museum, too?"

"Yeah, that's right," said the deep voice, who was too distracted by searching through my luggage. I watched him closely to make sure he didn't steal anything. After many minutes of searching, he begrudgingly handed me by bag. "You're clean. Go ahead."

I nodded silently and walked past them, into the city. I looked back at them to see them talking to each other, pointing at me and grinning. The calming blue light that shown over my face wasn't enough to appease my fear. As soon as I was out of sight, I sprinted to the Center. I opened the door to the cheers of the other competitors, but I shook them off as I rushed to Nick.

"Nick, they know," I said. "They know about the documents."

Nick's eyes widened. "What?" He asked. "Are you sure?"

"I was stopped at the entrance," I explained. "Two men asked to search my bag for documents."

"You didn't have any, did you? I know I dropped some."

I pulled them out. "They didn't check my pockets, so I was able to pass. But, that means that they're looking for those papers you stole."

"I wouldn't doubt it," said Nick. "From what we've read so far, this is some pretty important stuff."

"Yeah, like what?"

Before Nick could answer, the Center's doors slid open and the two men stepped inside. They surveyed the room, eyeing all of us, before the deep voice announced:

"We are aware that there is a thief among you. If you give us what we stole, we promise to let you off with a warning."

"We just want what was rightfully ours. Nothing more, nothing less."

Nick gulped and shrunk. He slid the box under the table, out of sight. The papers had been passed around the room, so no doubt everyone had a piece. The room remained silent, with many people glancing at each other for ideas, or glancing at the men for their reaction. After a while, Quinton stood up.

"Well, Nick, give them your papers," he said, pointing at the perpetrator.

"You rat," Nick muttered, before the men walked up to him. They got within inches of his face, their ugly grimaces in full view.

"Well, kid, you got our papers?" The men asked.

"I got something for you," Nick replied, and he kneed the man standing over him in a terrible place. He pushed the man into the other and sprinted out of the Center. After scrambling off of each other, the two men gave chase, and the rest of us followed, not wanting to miss the action.

Nick led them through alleys and side streets, nearly losing them multiple times, but these men knew the city so well that they were able to stick with him, despite being less agile and more clumsy. The rest of us had to split off from the chase, as sixty of us could not fit in those thin alleys. So, there was chaos around the city as sixty people were running around, trying to find one teenager. Eventually, miraculously, many of us had found Nick and the men North of the city, heading toward Nugget Bridge.

Where the chase ended was at the entrance to the bridge, where Nick had been cornered by the two men, who had grabbed him by the arms and legs to ensure his cooperation.

"Right, kid, where are the papers?"

"Like I'd tell you, you scum!" Nick spat.

The men shook their heads. "Would you like to spend a night in jail? Or, perhaps, the rest of your life? All we want are the papers you took. They're part of a project we're working on, and they're essential to its completion."

"What project?" Nick asked. "What could Team Rocket possibly be working on?"

The two men froze, glancing back at the large crowd which was watching them.

"Team Rocket?" One asked. "What makes you think they exist anymore?"

"Because you're working with them," Nick replied.

At this, one of the men reached into his pocket and pulled out a pistol, aiming it at Nick's head. At once, there was an uproar, as Moemon and Trainer started forward. But even this wasn't loud enough to cover the man's screams.

"How dare you accuse us of working for Team Rocket? You have no idea who we are, kid, nor do you know what Team Rocket has one? If you want to lie about the papers, then we won't have an unsolvable problem. But when you scream lies like that, try to ruin our reputation, then that's when you've gone too far! Now, tell us where the papers are!"

At the sight of the gun, Nick panicked. "Under the Center's table!" He screamed in hysterics. "Please, don't kill me!"

Before the mob could close in, the men let go of Nick and sheathed their gun. "Step aside!" The men called. "We found what we came for. And don't you believe his lies! We work for Cerulean Police Department, not that evil organization."

They stepped through the crowd without fear, and withstood the kicks and punches they received as they cut a line straight through us. They didn't look back, and disappeared over the hill.

Nick was on his knees, breathing heavily, his Moemon holding onto him for comfort. He got to his feet, staring at the ground, before shouting, "Quinton, you son of a bitch! Show yourself!"

I looked around for Quinton, hoping he wasn't around, but he came out of the crowd, standing tall, staring at Nick.

"What do you want?" Quinton asked, in a tone that showed he knew what Nick wanted to say, and that he was prepared to counter.

"I want to know if you're happy with yourself," Nick demanded.

"I'm not proud of what I did," said Quinton. "But someone had to make sure you paid for your stupidity. I told you not to go down there, but you did. And you brought down Team Rocket on all of us. If I hadn't told them that you stole the papers, then who knows what they would have done to us to get that information?"

"So, you sold us out to make yourself feel safe," said Nick. "Funny. I would've thought you're better than that. Better than ratting someone else out to save your own hide."

"I wasn't saving my hide. I was making sure justice was served."

"And if I had been shot and killed, would justice have been served?"

Quinton shook his head. "Of course not! But I wanted you to see why underestimating Team Rocket like you did, why going into their base to steal their plans was a terrible idea! Now, you know how desperate they are to keep their plans a secret, desperate enough to pull a gun on someone they're holding hostage. They aren't people to be underestimated."

Nick was still breathing deeply, and his fists clenched in anger. "Who else are you willing to sacrifice to make yourself feel safe? Your friends, your Moemon? I think we know who the real man is. But it isn't the scared little child willing to see his friends die in order to sleep at night. It's the man willing to risk everything to find out the truth."

"You think stupidity makes you a man?"

"It makes me better than a coward."

There was a pause.

"Quinton, there's only one way we can settle this."

Quinton shook his head slowly, knowing what was coming. "Nick, you don't want to do this."

Nick nodded just as slowly. "Oh, I absolutely do. Quinton, I challenge you to a Moemon battle!"

* * *

><p>Arthur:<p>

Christine the Charmeleon

Stacy the Staravia

Mandy the Mankey

Rose the Budew

Olivia the Dewott

Annie the Aron

Garrett:

Gloria the Ralts

Jenny the Joltik

Hope the Houndour

Veela the Venonat

Lily the Petilil

Eileen the Goldeen

Sandy the Scraggy

Quinton:

Melody the Beldum

Wendy the Wooper

Brianna the Shroomish

Flora the Pineco

Lucia the Riolu

Willow the Bonsly


	20. Chapter 19: Nick

Chapter 19: Nick

* * *

><p>"Nick," said Drew, stepping forward immediately. "You don't want to do this."<p>

"He sold me out," Nick responded, not looking at Drew. "He deserves to suffer."

"You haven't trained half your Moemon," Drew explained. "You just caught your Sandshrew a few hours ago. You don't want to fight him."

"I don't want to do this either, Nick," Quinton agreed. "Let's forgive each other and walk away."

Nick smirked. "Too late now, Quinton." He kneeled down to his Moemon. I noticed four of them, and I checked my Dex to be sure of their species. A Bagon, a Herdier, a Doduo, and a Sandshrew. Three of which were a lower level than Quinton's Moemon.

After whispering to his Moemon for a while, Nick stood up and pointed at Quinton. "I'm the challenger; therefore, I set the rules. One on one battles. No healing and no switching. Not even when an opponent's Moemon is killed."

The crowd chastised him for that. Even Quinton couldn't help but scream, "How could you do such a thing?"

Nick shook his head. "If I don't defeat you, then I'm going to cripple you. Now send out your best and hope she can kill all of mine, or send out your worst and hope she doesn't get slaughtered."

Quinton turned his back to Nick, but his face was in full view to us. He clenched his fist as his Moemon gathered around him, hugging him, begging him to let them go in each other's place. It tore him up inside, making this decision. Whoever he chose couldn't survive four battles in a row, not with a fellow trainer.

"Oh yes," said Nick, savoring Quinton's agony. "Since you have more Moemon than me, you have to send yours out first."

It was Quinton's turn to bend to his Moemon, speaking quietly to them in a comforting voice. He couldn't muster any confidence in seeing them all get through this; he knew none of them could survive four straight battles without healing.

He said one thing louder than the others, as if the very thought broke his nerves. "Does anyone w-want to volunteer?"

Immediately, all six Moemon rose their hands, and Quinton flashed a big smile. "I'm so proud of you girls. All of you." He looked back at Nick. "You're first, Fiora."

Fiora nodded, and said, "I'll make you all proud!" And she stepped toward Nick. Nick watched her, and then told his Doduo to go first.

The two Moemon stood across from each other, watching each other carefully. I wondered why Quinton picked the Pineco first. Doduo had speed, strength, height, and type advantage. Flora's only advantage was two additional levels, and that wouldn't matter too much if Doduo had any Flying moves.

Several moments passed with nobody willing to make the first move, so Drew, cautiously at first, stepped in between them.

"Is there any way for this battle to stop?" He asked, looking at Nick.

Nick shook his head, but Quinton responded, "It's impossible, once a challenge has been made."

Drew nodded. "Then, let the battle begin." He threw his arms down and stepped back.

"Quick attack!" Nick shouted immediately, and the Doduo sprang forward, closing the distance between them rapidly.

Flora ducked down and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the charge, but was unable to get back to her feet before Doduo came from behind and kicked her forward. She tumbled several feet, then lay unmoving.

Neither Trainer was fazed. "Peck!" Nick shouted. Doduo charged forward.

"Protect!" Quinton shouted. "Then Tackle!"

On the ground, her eyes still closed, Flora created a barrier between her and the Doduo, and the Doduo crashed into it headfirst, flying backward and landing on her back. Flora hopped to her feet and tackled the girl, sending her skidding away.

"Bug Bite!" Quinton commanded, while Nick told Doduo to Rage.

Doduo flashed red for a brief instant and knocked Flora back, jumping back to her feet and grabbing Flora by the scruff of her neck. She then punched Flora into the air, chased her down, and proceeded to jab her as Nick called for a Fury Attack.

Quinton, panic in his voice, shouted, "Protect!" And Flora stopped the onslaught by creating another barrier. Flora fell to the ground, kneeling in obvious exhaustion. "Take Down!" Quinton shouted, knowing full well what the consequences would be.

Flora charged at the Doduo headfirst, knocking into her and sending her flying away. She tripped herself, falling to her knees and watching as the Doduo got to her feet. Both Moemon were breathing heavily, but the Doduo had the advantage.

"Finish it," said Nick. "Give all of your might into this attack. Peck her brains out!"

"Oh my god," I heard someone gasp to my side. "What is wrong with him?"

The Doduo charged at the kneeling Moemon, raising her head high to get the most power out of this attack. She threw her head downward, sure to strike, when Quinton shouted, "Protect!"

The Doduo stopped, her head centimeters from contact, and was flung into the air by Flora's wonderful barrier. Flora got to her feet, strength coming back to her after gaining the advantage, and walked to Doduo.

"Finish her," was what Quinton said, and he looked slightly away.

Flora placed her foot over the nearly-unconscious girl's neck, and stomped hard. The crack echoed over the silent bridge, and Flora dropped to her knees over her victim, trying to compose herself for the next fight.

"You did good," said Quinton, giving a smile. "Keep it up."

Flora returned the smile, shouting, "Don't worry about me. Worry about them!"

Quinton's smile turned to fear, and he shouted, "Protect!"

Flora didn't hesitate, but she closed her eyes as she braced for impact. She heard a thunk as Nick's Sandshrew knocked her head against the barrier, and she turned around to see her on the ground.

"No warning," said Quinton angrily. "What kind of a Trainer are you?"

"One that takes any advantage he can get," Nick replied. "You don't have many uses of Protect left. Flora's dead."

Quinton shook her head, even though Flora refused to turn her gaze from Nick. "Flora," Quinton said. "Don't listen to him."

"I never will."

"Take Down!" Quinton shouted.

Flora ran at the Sandshrew and jumped at her, crashing into her with such force that both Moemon bounced in opposite directions. The Sandshrew was able to shake off the impact quickly, but Flora was sprawled out on her back, breathing heavily, eyes closing.

"Scratch," said Nick. "Aim for the throat; make it fatal."

"You're a sick bastard!" Quinton shouted, a statement that shocked everyone. "Flora, Protect!"

Flora couldn't move, and while she tried to create the saving grace of a barrier, she was too tired, too weakened to succeed. The Sandshrew readied her claws, and with a swift motion slit her throat. She felt nothing, and she died peacefully.

Quinton was motionless, but his Moemon were shouting at Nick in anger.

"You'll pay for that," Melody shouted. "Let me go out there, Quinton. I'll show them."

"No, me," said Lucia. "Least I'd go down fighting!"

"I'll whoop them all," said Wendy.

"Stop," said Quinton, trying to sort out the thoughts in his head. "Brianna will take them."

"You mean it?" Brianna asked. "You're letting me go?"

"Just remember the combo."

Brianna nodded and walked forward, "The unbeatable combo."

Drew stepped in between them. "No more blindsides," he said to Nick. "Wait until I call. Now begin!"

"Scratch!" Nick shouted.

"Start it!" Quinton countered.

As the Sandshrew charged forward, claws scraping against the ground, Brianna reached into the pocket of her hat and pulled out some yellow substance, which sparkled as it seeped from between her fingers. It was nearly invisible, so when Brianna threw it at her, the Sandshrew was unable to see it. It felt the substance enter her eye, and she stopped immediately to rub it.

What then followed was brilliant. Brianna pulled out something else from the pocket: a seed. She tossed it at the immobile Sandshrew, where it latched on and immediately sprouted into a costume of draping vines. The Sandshrew tried to move, but it suddenly twitched, and the vines squeezed. A greenish aura transferred from the Sandshrew to Brianna, and she closed her eyes and smiled, enjoying the power.

Finally, she used this power by throwing her palm toward Sandshrew, concentrating with all her might, draining the rest of the Sandshrew's life. The Sandshrew fell, a victim to the clean Stun Spore-Leech Seed-Mega Drain combo.

"That," said Brianna. "Was for Flora."

Nick was stunned. Any trace of confidence from his victory had disappeared, and he looked at his two remaining Moemon with worry. He sent out his Herdier.

Drew called the match to begin, and Quinton didn't have to say anything to get Brianna to begin the combo. Nick, however, told his Moemon to avoid the powder at all cost.

"Avoid anything she throws at you," he commanded. "Get close, dodge, and Tackle."

The Herdier leapt at Brianna, eyeing her arms carefully. As she raised them, the Herdier dove to the right, dodging the powder as it sparkled in the air. She then had a clear shot, and rammed Brianna away. She tumbled several times before landing on her back, but she wasted no time in producing another handful.

She waited until the Herdier got closer, within arm's reach, before she threw, but the Moemon's speed was far too great. Herdier knocked her down, and she found more difficulty in getting to her feet. She succeeded, but only in time to be knocked away again, as the Herdier gave her no time to recover.

Quinton gasped. "You have to think of something," he shouted. "I know you can do this!"

The words comforted her, gave her strength. She jumped to her feet with far more agility than she could have possessed, and she reached into her pocket for one more time. The Herdier charged, and they played that game one last time. Herdier got within tackling distancing when Brianna threw her arm into the air. The Herdier tumbled away, but was met with a face full of powder.

Brianna had thrown the powder at the ground, stunning both of them. She, however, had closed her eyes, and while the Herdier was stumbling away, struggling to clear her eyes, Brianna had pulled out the seed.

"Look out!" Nick shouted. "She's throwing the seed!"

The Herdier dove to the side, but Brianna hadn't thrown the seed until she saw her move. The seed collided with the Herdier, wrapping her up in vines.

Quinton sighed in relief, and Nick stomped his foot in anger. "You have to keep fighting!" Nick shouted.

But the Herdier couldn't move. She was paralyzed. Brianna, while also paralyzed, was able to muster the strength to Mega Drain her opponent, gaining much needed health. She did this twice, and was about to do it a third time when she suffered the effects of her spore. She froze in place, twitched, and didn't move.

"Brianna!" Quinton shouted. "Are you okay?"

Brianna was able to nod, but it took several tense seconds before she was capable of moving. "I think I might be in trouble," she joked. She then Mega Drained the Herdier, who had all but given up by this point, which finished her off.

"She's at full health," mumbled Quinton. "But she's paralyzed. Her life will depend on luck."

Nick had long since gotten over Herdier's defeat, and he was whispering to his Bagon as his Moemon died. He had his confident smirk back, completely ignoring his fallen Moemon.

"I'm sure she'll be able to kill a paralyzed Moemon," said Nick. "You tear them all to shreds."

The Bagon, sharing a smirk equally as confident, looked back at him and flashed him a thumbs up. The pair looked like mirrors, like father and daughter, or sister and brother. There was an unnatural creepiness to the whole picture.

"Right," said Drew. "Let the match begin!"

"Leer!" Nick shouted, as Bonnie reached for her hat.

Bonnie noticed the intense glare on the Bagon's face, and froze in fear. She shuddered briefly, and once the Bagon looked away, she moved not an inch before suffering from the Paralysis. She was frozen, one arm above her head, watching helplessly as the Bagon charged, her shell head aimed downward.

It takes but one unlucky moment in the games to send a Pokemon from full health to fainting; a single critical, or an unexpected super effective strike. As the Bagon's shell struck Brianna, I could feel the force of the impact from as far away as I was. It was a Critical Hit.

Brianna flew into the air, spiraling uncontrollably, until she crashed into a tree headfirst. We heard a crack as her head bent sharply to the side, and she fell to the ground, motionless.

"Oh my…" Quinton whimpered, and he rushed to Brianna. He knelt to her, flipped her over, felt her pulse, and remained still for many moments.

"That was incredible," Nick said to his Bagon. "Excellent work! Keep this up for the next four, and we'll win!"

Bagon was Nick's strongest Moemon, and clearly the one he cared for the most. She was already at level 20, so her Headbutts hit hard. And, because of her type, half of Quinton's Moemon couldn't damage her. I expected Quinton to send out his strongest Moemon as well, but he surprised me.

"Let's give Willow a shot," he finally said.

Quinton's newest Moemon waddled forward. She looked smaller and younger than most of the Moemon around. She wore a skirt in the shape of a brown flowerpot, held up by straps hooking around her shoulders. Underneath the straps was a brown shirt with a yellow oval below the neck. On top of her short, brown hair she wore a headband with green orbs sticking out like a clover.

Quinton had picked up Brianna and set her down beside his Moemon, and he knelt beside Willow. "We don't know each other very well, but in order to win, we have to trust each other," he said softly. "Are you ready?"

Willow looked at him curiously, and then nodded.

"Then let's win this."

Willow and the Bagon stood across from each other, the former tilting her head in curiosity, the latter cracking her knuckles with a thirst for more blood. Drew stepped in between them, arms in the air. "Let the match begin!" He shouted, and jumped back.

"Rock throw," was Quinton's command.

"Bite," was Nick's.

As Willow bent down to scoop up some dirt, the Bagon charged at her with her fangs bared. Willow noticed just in time and tossed her soft ball of dirt at the Bagon. The dirt blinded her, causing her to halt her attack, giving Willow time to jump back and harden a new ball of dirt into rock. She threw it at the Bagon, knocking her in the head and sending her to the ground.

"Keep it up," said Quinton. "Another Rock Throw!"

"Bite her," commanded Nick. "Quickly, before she gets another!"

The Bagon shook off the rest of the dirt and charged at Willow. Willow had the hardened rock, but was unable to throw it before Bagon collided with her and bit her hard in the shoulder. Willow screaming in pain and started hitting Bagon with the rock. Unfortunately, she was only able to reach her hardened head, so the Bagon refused to let go.

"Low kick!" Quinton shouted.

Willow dropped the rock, grabbed the Bagon with her other hand, and kicked her in the shin. The Bagon shouted, releasing Willow, allowing Willow to kick her again. She then grabbed the rock and threw it the Bagon, striking her in the stomach. The Bagon stumbled backward, but remained on her feet.

"Charge in and bite her!" Nick shouted. Bagon did just that. Before Quinton could give out his order, the Bagon was latched onto Willow's left shoulder, biting so hard that blood spurted out. Willow dropped to her knees, unable to hold the Bagon's weight.

"Flail!" Quinton shouted, desperation setting in.

Willow swung her shoulders with all her might, moving so fast that the Bagon was lifted off of her feet. She got to her feet and jumped into the air, landing on her left shoulder, and as a result Bagon. She then started pummeling the Bagon beneath her, punching and kicking with no finesse or grace, but ferocity and savagery. She landed attacks on every inch of the Bagon's skin, her attack's power increased because of her lack of health.

Finally, the barrage ended, as the Bagon lay on the ground, breathing heavily, unable to move.

"Finish this," Quinton said quietly. "Rock Throw."

Willow picked up another pile of dirt, shaped it into a ball and hardened it, walked over to the Bagon with the rock high above her head, whispered some unintelligible words to her, and then slammed the rock down hard on her head.

Nick dropped to his knees, realization setting in. "What have I done?" He asked. "I'm… I'm sorry."

I didn't know what caused Nick to change into such a monster during the battle, what caused him to turn on Quinton and attack him. What I did know was that, as Nick disappeared in a blinding flash of white light, that I had no remorse for what he did. Brianna and Flora were dead, and Willow was badly wounded.

Quinton asked me to take care of Willow, to send her to the Center. And as the crowd dispersed, Quinton began digging the graves for his two fallen Moemon.

* * *

><p>Arthur:<p>

Christine the Charmeleon

Stacy the Staravia

Mandy the Mankey

Rose the Budew

Olivia the Dewott

Annie the Aron

Garrett:

Gloria the Ralts

Jenny the Joltik

Hope the Houndour

Veela the Venonat

Lily the Petilil

Eileen the Goldeen

Sandy the Scraggy

Quinton:

Melody the Beldum

Wendy the Wooper

Lucia the Riolu

Willow the Bonsly


	21. Chapter 20: Nugget Bridge

Chapter 20: Nugget Bridge

* * *

><p>As I walked to the center, Willow barely conscious in my arms, I overheard some citizens of the city – not fellow Challengers – who had watched the fight.<p>

"That was a surprisingly tame fight," said one, an older woman wearing an extravagant dress. "Only two deaths from such a high stakes match. . Normally Challengers are much more brutal."

"Oh," replied a younger man, likely her son. "They were Challengers? Oh, wonderful. And here I was thinking the city was too peaceful. Good to know they won't bring trouble."

"You hold your tongue," replied the woman. "This city is far too uninteresting for my liking. It's been too long since something like this has happened."

"It will never have been long enough."

"You're such a bore. Be happy there are so many Challengers this time! I heard there were a dozen. It means many hunters will come!"

"Must you relish in their slaughter? It's downright unhealthy."

"Don't you fret about my health, young man," she replied. "You just watch yourself coming home from work these next few nights. Wouldn't want you mistaken for a Challenger, now would we?"

I heard her giggle to herself, and turned away from them. I had almost forgotten about the Hunters. Keeping incognito was going to be important, unless we were to be caught by another trainer too strong for us. I stepped through the door to the Center cautiously, unsure whether those Team Rocket grunts would still be there. A quick glance around the building told me they had left, and they had taken the documents with them.

As I handed Willow to the Nurse, I questioned whether the documents were worth the loss. Nick practically bragged about nearly losing his life taking them, but we never had a good chance to read them or learn anything from them. They weren't concerned with whether we had read them, which made me question their importance. Supposedly, Nick had read through some of the papers, but he wouldn't be around to tell us.

After a few minutes, the Nurse handed Willow to me, looking happy and healthy, although slightly pale.

"Are you okay?" I asked. She looked at me suspiciously, but nodded all the same. "That's good. You fought fantastically! Quinton's so proud of you!"

"Where is he?" She asked, looking around. "Who are you?"

"I'll be traveling with you and Quinton for a while," I replied. "My name is Arthur."

"And my Trainer?"

"He's by the bridge, doing something for his Moemon."

"Take me back to him," she said.

I nodded, picked her up, and walked her back through the city. It was a long walk, so by the time I had reached the bridge, Willow had fallen asleep. At the bridge, I saw Quinton sitting underneath a tree next to two mounds of dirt, and his other Moemon. They were deep in discussion, but the moment they saw me they jumped to their feet, shouting Willow's name. This woke her up immediately, and she jumped out of my arms before I could react, sprinting over to her teammates. They embraced, congratulating each other and hugging each other, and then they all jumped to Quinton, tackling him in excitement.

I stayed to watch the tackle, but quickly departed; this was a moment for them to enjoy alone. Plus, I had to search for my own Moemon, who I separated with after the fight. It wasn't long before I found Annie, sleeping at the base of a nearby tree. I picked her up and felt her tense up, her eyes opening immediately. She then saw it was me, and she relaxed and closed her eyes. I carried her to the edge of the city, where I knew Garrett was with all of the rest of my Moemon.

He saw me approaching and waved me down, sliding down a slide with his Joltik as he did so. Our Moemon were scattered around a park, but the moment I came within sight they stopped what they were doing and rushed over to me. I knelt down to hug the smaller ones, then got to my feet to hug the evolved.

"How's he doing?" Garrett asked.

"He'll be fine," I replied. "It'll take him a while to recover, but he will."

"Nick is such an asshole," Garrett whispered.

"We're all aware," I replied. "What was in those documents?"

"Statistics," Garrett replied, with an expression as irritated as I could possibly imagine. "Statistics about rocks they dug up. Absolutely worthless."

I reached into my pocket, feeling the few papers I had saved. "Statistics can be useful," I replied defensively. "Remember what class we started this in."

"Okay, Mr. McDonald taught us a valuable lesson about the usefulness of statistics," Garrett replied sarcastically. "So now he can bring Brianna and Flora back and we can all live happily ever after."

"Too soon," I said. "Too soon to make jokes."

Garrett nodded. "Right."

We sat in silence, watching our Moemon play around the park. Eventually, Garrett asked, "What's our plan?"

I thought a while. "I'm likely going to catch the Moemon I missed in the past Route, and those that are across the bridge. After that, I'll train until I get to a decent level, and then face Misty."

"Sounds like a good plan," said Garrett.

"We'll have to be inconspicuous," I warned. "I overheard some people talking about Hunters visiting the city. We don't want to encounter any."

"Yeah," Garrett sighed. "Those will be a pain in the future. Avoiding them sounds good to me."

* * *

><p>The next hours passed quickly. We packed everything up and rented a hotel room for the three of us, and then we went to the West to catch Moemon we missed. For Garrett, it was a Taillow, and for me it was an adorable Azurill, both of whom were sent to the box.<p>

"Is there any point to catching more of these?" Garrett asked. "We have plenty."

"Just in case," was all I could say. Garrett understood, thankfully, so I didn't have to think about it.

Heading toward the bridge, we came across Quinton, sleeping at the base of a tree, with his Moemon circled around him. We contemplated waking him, but our thought was cut short by Mandy throwing a rock at them. It hit Quinton in the leg, stirring him and subsequently waking all of them up.

"Why are you tired?" Garrett chuckled.

"Haven't slept in over 24 hours," Quinton replied. "Why aren't you?"

We turned to each other and shrugged. "Too excited about this city, I suppose," Garrett repled. "Are you feeling okay?"

"We'll be fine," Quinton said. "It might take some of us a while to recover, but we'll manage."

"He's too soft for this," Lucia joked. "He isn't used to this world."

"We were going across the bridge," I said. "Want to join us?"

Quinton glanced at the two graves and sighed. "I suppose I'll have to leave eventually."

I walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You and your Moemon did fine," I said. "Nobody thinks you did badly. Don't mourn them. Make them proud."

"It's hard losing them," Quinton said. "Harder knowing it was your faul-"

"It wasn't your fault," said Garrett sharply. "Don't you ever think that, Quinton! You get that out of your head right now. We refuse to let you think like that."

Quinton nodded silently and got to his feet.

"We'll get you some new friends, if that's fine with you," Garrett continued cautiously. "We'll visit Bill, get the S. S. Anne tickets, and be on our way."

* * *

><p>The games didn't do it justice. Nugget Bridge wasn't a small, thin brick platform holding a few trainers. It was an incredibly large manmade monolith of steel which towered above us. There was no purpose for such extravagance, as the bridge was only wide enough to carry a few people, and it wasn't a long walk to the edge, but that's what made it wonderful. The workers of Cerulean did it because they could.<p>

I could see even more construction out in the river, with dozens of cranes spinning slowly and lifting and dropping large sheets of metal and brick. Dozens, if not hundreds of workers were wading in the river or driving in boats or hooked onto the cliff of Cerulean Cave, digging away.

"Wonder what that's for," I whispered in wonder.

"Nothing good," said Quinton. "Nothing involving that place will ever be good."

This statement startled me, but I attributed it to Quinton being in a bad mood. I wanted to cheer him up, but we had reached the end of the bridge, and subsequently a roadblock. Two construction workers, both large, ugly, and menacing, were leaning against two bulldozers parked directly in the bridge's path. As we approached, they looked at each other and pointed at us knowingly.

"Yo kids," one said, in a voice just as disgusting as the face that made it. "Get out. This is private property."

"We're here to see Bill," Garrett replied. "Could you let us through?"

"Bill? He's in Goldenrod. Been there for months now," the worker replied, scratching his head. "At least, I think that's where his family is."

We looked at each other disappointedly. "So what're we going to do about the ship?" Garrett asked.

"It's been eight years," said Quinton. "The ship'll be in Vermillion's harbor, or it won't be needed for us to get to the gym."

"I'd hope they'd clear those hedges," I replied, and turned to the workers. "Can we at least catch the Moemon on the routes?"

"Ain't no Moemon around here," said the other worker, with a large, sinister grin. "Haven't been since we started construction. You could always check the grass, if ya want."

I looked to where he was pointing and saw scorch marks all across the shoreline. They burned all of the grass, likely driving all of the Moemon out of their homes. I turned to the workers with a glare as malicious as I could manage.

"What are you doing to the cave?" I asked.

"That, kid, is none of your damn business," the worker replied, returning my glare. "Now, I'd like to keep this from getting violent, but unless you leave, you'd give me no choice. Get out, and don't come back."

"Pleasure speaking to you," Garrett said sarcastically, and the three of us walked back.

"Were they Team Rocket?" I asked, sensing Quinton knew the answer. As I suspected, he nodded, and turned to Melody on his shoulder.

"Do you know what they're doing?" I asked her.

"They're building a bridge to Mewtwo," she replied. "Nobody knows why."

"It's Team Rocket," I sighed. "They're going to try to control him. Again."

Garrett answered a question that had been brewing in his mind. "We can't stop them, can we?"

Quinton and I shook our heads. "Not like this. If we do anything, it'll be when we're stronger, months from now."

"Months from now, they could be finished with their plans," said Quinton.

"Only time will tell."

We had reached the other end of the bridge, and I looked out at the entrance to the Cave. There, standing at the entrance, was a tall, lanky man with a tall afro, leaning against the wall, obviously asleep. Waiting a few moments, ignoring the calls of my friends, I was rewarded with the sight of a tall, purple catlike creature levitating out of the cave's entrance. The pair started chatting, the man ending the conversation with a heavy sigh and following the cat inside.

"I just saw Mewtwo!" I whispered to myself, giddy beyond belief. "I saw him!"

* * *

><p>At the Moemon Center, the thirteen of us gathered around to discuss the events of the day. Nick and Quinton were the most active subject. The latter grew visibly nauseous at the many mentions of his fallen Moemon, and after several minutes of constant reminders excused himself from the table.<p>

"Could you guys be a little more sensitive?" Garrett asked.

"Guess we did go overboard," said Max apologetically.

"Unavoidable," argued Eric. "It was a fantastic battle, and Quinton came out of it relatively unscathed. It could have gotten ugly very fast, but he used excellent strategy."

"If we can't mention the great things his dead Moemon did," continued Sam. "What's the point in them dying at all? Should we not honor them?"

"Honor them," I agreed. "But do it later, when they aren't the freshest things in his mind."

"Or, at the very least, you should have waited until he went to bed," said Garrett.

"Can we at least talk about Team Rocket?" I asked.

"No." said Eric, flatly. "We can't."

"Why?"

Eric's voice dropped. "I've heard things around this city. Team Rocket is here, and they're in control over most of it. You talk about it anywhere else, and you'll most likely disappear."

"What, so they control everything we see or do?"

"From what I've gathered, it's more of a political dominance. Everyday citizens have no care in the world, and most are oblivious. But every important person in any position of power is paid out of pocket by Team Rocket."

"And how do you know this?"

"Arthur," Eric said deliberately slowly. "I used my damn eyes."

It was the way he said it, a sense of condescendence and superiority, which infuriated me. This wasn't like Eric. He never used sarcasm. But I was helpless to his logic; I had seen for myself, and knew full well that he was correct. Yet I still wanted to argue. I couldn't, and the only point I could get through my lips was: "Well I saw Mewtwo."

Eric, not sensing any of my inner turmoil, was stunned and intrigued. "Really? Was he the purple cat we're familiar with?"

"He was as he was!" Wendy chipped in from across the room.

She was ignored, and I was conflicted. All eyes were on me, and I was frozen. I wanted to reply – my mouth was open and willing – but nothing would come to mind. I couldn't think; I was focusing too much on Eric's tone. A tone which had dissipated a while ago. Why, then was I unable to speak? I shook my head and walked out of the claustrophobic building. The fresh air doused my face in a pleasant coolness.

"I choked," I said to myself after a few minutes of silence. "I got into an imaginary argument with him, and I couldn't handle it."

What was wrong with Eric, and what was wrong with me? Neither of us was acting normal. So what caused it?"

"Mt Moon," was my answer. "And Team Rocket. Adding them to this journey is too much pressure on us."

I hadn't slept in almost 2 days. I was exhausted beyond belief. That was my excuse. I couldn't stay awake any longer. I could hear the voices inside, and it was a friendly ring, but I couldn't. Too tired. I decided not to return to the center. Instead, I headed back for my hotel, hoping to get a good day's rest.

* * *

><p>Arthur:<p>

Christine the Charmeleon

Stacy the Staravia

Mandy the Mankey

Rose the Budew

Olivia the Dewott

Annie the Aron

Garrett:

Gloria the Ralts

Jenny the Joltik

Hope the Houndour

Veela the Venonat

Lily the Petilil

Eileen the Goldeen

Sandy the Scraggy

Quinton:

Melody the Beldum

Wendy the Wooper

Lucia the Riolu

Willow the Bonsly


	22. Chapter 21: Full Moon

Chapter 21: Full Moon

* * *

><p><em>Brianna and Fiora were two girls not unlike each other. While one was outgoing and confident and the other shy and cautious, both knew exactly what it meant to fight, and to live. Their lives before their captures were similar – frolicking in fields in and around Viridian Forest, leading groups of friends through danger. No doubt at some points they came across each other, unbeknownst to them at the time of their destinies. Their deaths were not in vain. They made Quinton stronger, pushed him harder. And they would never be forgotten.<em>

When I got to the hotel, I was barely conscious. How I made it up the elevator and into my room without collapsing, I couldn't explain. All I know is that I lost all memory as soon as I opened the hotel door, and woke up immediately afterward, facedown in my bed. What woke me up was a loud, high-pitched scream next to me. Adrenaline pumped through me, and I leapt out of bed in search of the noise. I saw them, holding their heads, rocking back and forth and screaming the pain away.

Melody, Gloria, and Lucia were huddling next to each other, with all of the other Moemon around them, comforting them. My vision still a blur, I looked around the room and saw Quinton, standing fully dressed in visible pain, and Garrett, trying to climb out of bed, looking nauseous. I had no idea what was going on, and in my confusion I decided the best option would be to bend down, pick up the three Moemon, and carry them over to Quinton.

"What's going on?" I shouted.

Quinton shook his head, no doubt afraid of unwanted projectiles. He simply sat down next to Melody and Lucia and hugged them tightly. Garrett, after a moment of stumbling, did the same to Gloria.

The screaming soon died down, and the ringing in my head subsided. "What's going on?" I repeated.

"Tonight is a full moon," Quinton explained, slowly and carefully, making an effort to keep everything inside of him. "That's when psychic Moemon are at their strongest."

Realization hit me quickly. "Mewtwo."

"Whatever he's doing, it's affecting our psychic Moemon," said Quinton.

"It's affecting their trainers as well," said Stacy.

"How long is it going to last?" I asked, getting ready to leave. "Can we do anything about it?"

"We're in no shape to do anything," said Garrett. He, too, was turning green. "Whatever's happening, it isn't affecting you."

"But you can't do anything," said Quinton. "We're just going to have to wait it out."

"I'll check the cave," I said. "At the very least, I can warn you guys if I see Mewtwo escaping."

If Mewtwo escaped. The very thought sent shivers down my spine. It couldn't happen now. Not while we were so close to the cave. If Mewtwo was able to escape, at his full power, nothing of Cerulean would remain. But I had a curiosity that desperately needed closure.

I had left the door wide open in preparation for stragglers, but only Stacy and Olivia joined me in the elevator. The pair still looked shaken by being woken up so unpleasantly, and no doubt I looked the same.

"Do either of you know what Mewtwo has done in the past decade?" I asked, as the elevator doors closed and we began to descend.

"I recall hearing of a team of scientists entering the cave some years back," said Stacy, closing her eyes in thought. "They all came out, but missing all of their equipment and refusing to speak of what they found."

"I hadn't given him much thought," I admitted. "I should've read about him before all of this happened."

"There's been no time," said Olivia. "After tonight, we'll read."

"One step at a time," said Stacy, as the doors opened.

We raced out of the hotel and through the streets, our only vision being the streetlights that dotted every intersections. Stacy flew up high at one point, then dove toward us to tell us where to go.

"I see purple lights in the distance," she said. "They feel powerful."

We exited the city and came across the familiar clearing toward Nugget Bridge. We could hear construction in the distance, the sound of rocks splashing in the water, metal being welded in place. We reached the railing of the bridge closest to the cave.

"I'd hate to ask this," I said. "But could either of you carry me over to the island?"

"We're strong," said Olivia. "Not that strong."

I frowned. "Then this was a waste of time."

Stacy shook her head, already starting to hover. "I'll take a closer look."

She flew over the railing and over the bay, making it half way before stopping and suddenly turning around. She raced back to us, somewhat shaken.

"There are people on the island," she whispered.

"Okay," I said, somewhat confused. "Why didn't you stay?"

"They had guns," she replied. "And they were not scientists."

I reached into my backpack, praying that I had any form of binoculars. To my relief, I found a pair, and through them saw a group of five people standing in a circle, speaking to one another. The figures, due to the darkness, were nothing more than moving shadows, but they were definable shadows. All were human. All had guns.

A dim, purple light illuminated from the cave, and the five people moved suddenly. They had turned toward the cave, their guns aimed at the entrance. There was a moment of pause, and then a flash from a muzzle. We heard the loud clap of the gun a split second later, and then they started opening fire on the cave entrance.

The noise was too much. We had to cover our ears, and I dropped the binoculars. After a few seconds of constant gunfire, there was sudden silence. I scrambled to pick up the binoculars, and when I finally found them, I noticed a sixth creature had walked onto the island. This one was facing the others, its arm extended. The five men seemed frozen in place, mesmerized by the figure before them.

"Is that Mewtwo?" I asked. What confused me was that the sixth figure looked human as well, yet it seemed to command such force that I questioned whether it was him or not. I turned to Stacy to say something, and then it hit me. "Legendaries are Moemon too!"

This girl, this Moemon equivalent of Mewtwo, had singlehandedly stopped five people from spraying her with bullets, no doubt halting the bullets in their tracks before they reached the mouth of the cave. This girl was now furious at this disruption. I heard faint screaming echoing over the waters, and saw Mewtwo throw her arm to the side. The five other figures were thrown into the water, and Mewtwo walked back into the cave.

* * *

><p>"Are they complete morons?" Garrett asked the next day. "They expected to kill Mewtwo with a few guns? On a full moon, no less?"<p>

I shrugged. It was late in the morning, and we had all slept much later than we liked. As we entered the hotel, after nothing else interesting happened at the cave, we saw that all of them had fallen asleep. Their pain had subsided, and their screams had subsequently stopped. It took a while, but finally I got a much-needed rest. Waking up, they immediately asked me to explain what had happened.

"Maybe they felt the pain, too," I suggested. "And they wanted to end it."

"The pain stopped a few minutes after you all left," said Gloria. She and the other two still looked shaken and pale, and their eyes seemed trained at their feet. "So whatever they did, they succeeded."

"They got thrown into a lake by the most powerful Moemon in the universe," I said.

"Not exactly most powerful," said Quinton. "But I'd be surprised if they survived."

"You said there was gunfire," said Garrett. "But we didn't hear anything."

I shrugged again. "Island's a mile or so away. Could've been muffled by the walls. Or you just fell asleep before they fired."

"Then they didn't do anything," said Quinton.

"This is a real mess we've walked into," said Garrett. "We walk into Cerulean a day or so ago, and the city's been taken over by Team Rocket, and it's the day that one of the most powerful Moemon on the planet is at her most powerful."

"We've had great timing so far," I agreed. "I don't know how long we're going to stay, but I want to leave before the next full moon."

"What we need to do is train," said Quinton. He fiddled with his watch. "Misty's still the trainer of the gym, and our Moemon aren't strong enough to take hers down." He explained that they were still water, and their levels were higher than in the games. He gave us some tips about where to train and which Moemon to power level, and then he said his goodbye and took his Moemon.

"That guy," Garrett sighed, shaking his head. "He's never going to let it go."

"You never do," I frowned. No matter how long our journey lasted, no matter how many Moemon we captured, trained, and lost, the feeling of losing a friend would always sting. The only thing we could do was push forward and avenge those we lost. That was what Quinton was doing.

I wanted to change the subject, so I suggested we train together. Garrett grinned happily at the thought and nodded in agreement. We walked a few streets through the city to the Mart to get some extra supplies, and then we walked West, toward Mt Moon. Along the way, Garrett told me that he had, having seven Moemon with his newly captured Scraggy, released his Venonat.

"It's better than sending her to the box," he reasoned. "I'm not going to tell you to do the same, but if do decide to replace one of your team I'd hope you would be as considerate.

I looked back at my Moemon, not wanting to replace any of them. They looked at me with slight fear, and I realized that my own expression wasn't too reassuring. I tried smiling at them, but after so much recent strife I couldn't muster one. So, I voiced my thoughts: "I'm not going to replace any of them. You can all be sure of that."

"Even if we die?" Mandy asked. I didn't look, but I knew she was grinning coyly.

"That won't happen," I replied. "You can be sure of that-"

"Oy!" A voice in the distance shouted to us. We stopped, turned, and saw a young boy around our age running toward us, waving his arm in the arm frantically. He stopped when he was a few yards away, breathed deeply, and then pulled a ball out of his pocket. "I saw you, curly hair," he said, pointing at Garrett. "I'll take you down, first."

Garrett frowned. "I didn't think there were trainers on this route." He looked at me and shrugged, and then told Gloria to take the lead.

I looked at my watch. The youngster had three Moemon, each under Gloria's level. It would be a cinch to beat them. And a cinch it was. An Ekans was taken down with little difficulty thanks to a powerful confusion, and then a Growlithe fell to another few confusions. At the fall of Growlithe, Gloria hit level 20, and she immediately began glowing a bright white.

"She's evolving, Garrett!" I shouted happily, and Garrett turned to me with his widest grin.

When the glowing subsided, Gloria had evolved into a Kirlia. She had grown into her hair, allowing us to see one flaming red eye; the other was covered by her lime green hair, which now flowed down to her shoulders and was being held up by a headband which also had two red antennae. Her skirt shrunk, showing two long legs covered in green leggings.

"Wow, guess it was a good thing I challenged you," said the youngster, looking nervous. "But at least she's at low health!"

Garrett was brought back to Earth by that comment, and decided to swap Gloria out for his newest Moemon. This, however, seemed odd to me, as she was at a much lower level.

"Garrett," I said cautiously. "Are you sure about that?"

"You should trust me," Garrett said, looking at Gloria proudly. Sandy turned back to him, saddened by the lack of attention.

The youngster had sent out a Noctowl, and that raised red flags immediately.

"Garrett," I repeated. "You need to treat this very carefully." But my words weren't getting through.

I wanted to interfere, but before I could, the Noctowl swooped down. Garrett was brought to his senses yet again by Sandy's scream of pain. A single Wing Attack had nearly silenced her, and she was sent tumbling away. Garrett tried to run toward her, but the Noctowl flew in between, shielding him from her prey.

"Hey, call your Moemon off!" Garrett shouted. "I'm withdrawing her from the battle!"

The youngster chuckled. "It's out of my control. You should've paid more attention."

"Seriously, don't do this," I shouted. The youngster shook his head, and the Noctowl swiped Garrett aside and dashed at Sandy.

"Ah shoot," Garrett muttered, fumbling for Sandy's ball. He pulled it out, shouted, "Return!" and watched as the red light shot out.

It was too late. The Noctowl swiped across the fallen Sandy's neck with extended talons, and the last of her health faded away.

"No…" Garrett whispered.

Jenny took over for Garrett, using her type advantage to defeat Noctowl. I was so proud of her, but she turned to Garrett only to see him mourning Sandy. It wasn't fair for anyone, so after shooting the youngster a dirty look, I led my Moemon to Jenny and congratulated her. Then we all went to Garrett to console him. I congratulated Gloria on her evolution, but Garrett had lifted Sandy up and was facing me.

"Don't let this happen to you," said Garrett, completely distraught. "Alright, Arthur? Never let yourself get distracted like this." He shook his head, no doubt going through many emotions simultaneously. I, myself, didn't know how to react. To have such joy be replaced with such sadness was a confusing experience.

"I'm so sorry," I said.

Garrett sighed. "So am I." He walked away, his Moemon in tow, leaving me in such a strange mess that I couldn't help but sit down and sigh.

* * *

><p>Arthur:<p>

Christine the Charmeleon

Stacy the Staravia

Mandy the Mankey

Rose the Budew

Olivia the Dewott

Annie the Aron

Garrett:

Gloria the Kirlia

Jenny the Joltik

Hope the Houndour

Lily the Petilil

Eileen the Goldeen

Quinton:

Melody the Beldum

Wendy the Wooper

Lucia the Riolu

Willow the Bonsly


	23. Chapter 22: Cerulean City

Chapter 22: Cerulean City

* * *

><p><em>It's hard to make up a story about someone you don't know, who you only saw for a few minutes before her life was cut right in front of you. Your last moments of life being confusion at newly found friends and family with no eyes on you, a sudden burst of pain as your world tumbles and turns and finally stops upside down, and then panic as distant shouting pierces your damaged ears, and then Death's shadow swooping upon you as you close your eyes for the final time. Sandy didn't live any life at all, not before nor after her capture. Only one thing could be said for certain about Sandy: while she would never know it, she was one of the most important influences in Garrett's life, and someone he learned from immensely.<em>

I sat in silence for what seemed like hours. My Moemon huddled around, not sure whether they should comfort me or simply allow me to ponder; whether I was feeling saddened by Sandy's death, disappointment at Garrett's reaction, or anger at the unfairness of it all. I couldn't speak. I didn't know what to say that I hadn't already said with every other death. This one just came so abruptly that I was mainly filled with shock.

"Did any of you guys know Sandy?" I asked, my voice too timid for my liking. Nobody could respond. "We can't afford to let our guard down."

Annie had crawled the closest to me. She hadn't seen much of our adventure, and what she had seen was death and sadness. She was no doubt feeling burdened and scared, and she clung to me with her tightest grip, refusing to let go.

"Annie," I said softly, and she opened her eyes to look at me. "I want you to know that I will protect you with my life. Nothing bad will happen to you. Can you trust me?"

She continued to stare, and then closed her eyes and nodded her head. I lifted my arm to check my watch. She was at a much lower level than the others. Quinton had recommended at least level 25 for all of them, and that was precisely what I would achieve.

"Alright, guys," I sighed, slowly getting to my feet. "We're going to train, now. Carefully. I know you all can handle yourselves, but this is mainly to teach Annie how we do things. Keep a very close eye on her, but make sure you all get enough practice yourselves."

And the group split off, training while I sat under a tree and watched them. It was reassuring to know that, while not very outspoken when near me, Annie was a capable fighter. She took great care in ensuring her iron shell took every hit, and she used it as her main weapon. Rose kept by her side at all times, and Stacy watched over them from the skies. Christine, Mandy, and Olivia took the lead, eager to get out and battle after so long.

They trained for hours while I fiddled with my watch. I did a lot of thinking in that time, in which I decided three things:

First, I would never catch more than six Moemon. Consulting the rules, I learned that if we lost our current teams, we could retrieve any stored Moemon from the Center and start again. We were only eliminated if we ran away from a trainer battle before its conclusion or lost every Moemon we owned. Knowing what I knew, however, I couldn't do it. I couldn't dare throwing a Moemon in a prison for the rest of her life. If my team lost, then we would all lose together.

Second, I wanted to leave Cerulean as soon as possible. Not because I thought the race mattered at this point, which clearly it did not, but because it was an awful city. Team Rocket ruled this place, and we had already gotten in trouble with them. Even though Quinton wanted to research more into what they've done, I felt like they were too dangerous to deal with. If we got in trouble for snooping and they recognized us from stealing the documents, I doubt we would have gotten off easy.

And third, if necessary, I would split off from the group. This included Garrett and Quinton. I would wait for them in Vermillion, but I decided that I wouldn't wait more than a day in the city. I explained this to them, and they understood. I didn't know what they were planning on doing, but observing them with my watch, Quinton was in the library and Garrett was in the fields training.

When my team had finished training, all of whom were at or just below Quinton's recommended level, I called them to me. They were exhausted, but gleaming, and emitting an empowering aura that made me want to battle with them. And then I noticed we were one short.

"Where's Rose?" I asked, looking at Annie. She pointed in the distance, and so I wadded through the thick grass to where she was battling. She looked distraught, punching a girl into the dirt viciously rather than battle with her typical calm demeanor. When it was clear that the girl has fainted, I walked over to Rose and picked her up, keeping her arm to her side to prevent her from continuing her barrage.

I lifted her to eye level and noticed that she wouldn't look at me. Her face was red, whether from exhaustion or embarrassment or anger, I had to find out. "What's the matter, Rose?"

"What do you think?" She replied bitterly. "You can still pick me up. I am sure you have figured it out."

I bit my lip, trying to remember how Budews evolved. "You aren't happy," I reasoned.

"We have known each other for weeks," Rose replied, anger turning to sadness. "I thought that after training so hard and so long, it would've happened today."

"Hey, whether you evolve or not doesn't matter to me," I said reassuringly. "Tomorrow, when we face Misty, you'll be my star. Whether you bloom overnight or never bloom at all, you'll have plenty of time to shine in the gym."

Rose sighed deeply. "I apologize," she said. "This has been what I have been wondering for ages, and the lack of answers…"

"I completely understand your frustration," I replied. "But have patience. I'm sure you'll evolve when the time is right."

Our intense training didn't go unnoticed. When we entered the Center to heal up, the group that was already there started teasing.

"Seems like you're already getting ready to leave, Arthur," Drew said. "Don't you like this place?"

"I don't, actually," I replied. "I think this city is awful, and I want to get to Vermillion."

"You planning on winning?" Eric asked. "Leaving us in the dust?"

"Not yet," I said. "I'll wait at Vermillion for you guys to finish."

"You can't promise that," said Eric. "You'll keep moving forward."

I sighed. "There's nothing wrong with that, Eric," I said. "If you don't want to be left behind, train as hard as we are."

"I like to have fun, thank you very much," said Eric.

"Then don't harass me for working hard. I congratulated you when you were the first to defeat Brock."

"And I waited for you after I did!"

"And I will too!" I shouted. "Just not in this city."

"Ease off on him," said Sam. "I've been getting bad feelings about this city. We all have. I'm willing to leave soon. I just need time to train."

"Go ahead," I said, waving my arms dramatically. "As I said, I'll wait."

"What if Vermillion is just as bad?"

"Then I'll keep moving until I get to a safe place," I replied.

"What if there are none?" Quinton walked in, looking sullen, holding a book in his hand.

"What do you mean?" I asked worryingly. "What's the book?"

"History of the past decade," Quinton replied. "I had to steal it, not having a card."

"Oddly specific," Drew commented. "I didn't know you have it in you to steal something."

"When you said there are no safe places," I wanted to get back on topic. "Were you being ominous to be funny or did you find something?"

"Team Rocket might have expanded in secret in the past eight years," Quinton replied. "I haven't completely read through the book, but skimming through I noticed several pages torn out. They might've been vandalized by kids, or they might've contained information that Team Rocket wouldn't want in the public."

"That book's probably in every library on the continent," said Eric. "They couldn't tear them all out."

"That is what we don't know, and what I want to find out," said Quinton.

"So you're holding off on training?" I asked.

Quinton nodded. "I know you'll wait for us in Vermillion if it's safe. But right now, I'd like to research into this some more."

"Stay safe," I said. "I might be the one battling, but I feel you're the one treading more dangerous ground."

* * *

><p>The next day, my team got up extremely early to eat and talk final strategy before the battle. Misty's four Moemon were at my team's level, so this was going to be an even fight.<p>

"I don't want to have to rely on critical hits," I said, patting Olivia's shoulder. "We need to brute force this. Knock out her team using superior battling."

"Then put me in, coach," said Mandy, punching the air. "If you don't think I'm the best fighter, you're crazy."

"Consider me crazy, then," said Christine, shaking her head.

"I already do," Mandy replied. "I'll take her whole team down!"

"We'll see about that," I said. I knew which ones to fear, and which ones would be cannon fodder.

"Am I going to fight?" Annie asked.

"Not this time," I replied. "I want as few risks as possible; I'm not willingly going to send you or Christine out."

"Oh," said Annie, disappointed. "Ok."

I noticed Christine shake her head out of the corner of my eye and wanted to change the subject. We turned the discussion to Misty's team, choosing who fought whom, and decided to leave the Center. The few Challengers who were awake had gathered around the gym. Even though I hadn't spoken to many of them after the episode at the Center, word had clearly spread. They congratulated me and wished me luck, and their Moemon did the same to mine.

We entered the gym and warm air blasted us in the face. The gym was a heated pool with various platforms scattered in the water. I hadn't counted on there being so much water.

"Well," said Christine. "I'm kind of glad I'm not fighting, now."

"Oh yea!" Olivia shouted gleefully. "I get to swim!"

"I see I have a guest!" Came a voice from the end of the gym. Looking, I saw Misty in a blue bikini, smirking with her hands on her hips. Eight years had done wonders to her. She looked much older, much more attractive, and much more developed. "Welcome to the Cerulean Gym! I'm Misty!"

"Arthur!" I shouted in reply, walking to the nearest platform, which had a white pokeball outline. "I'm here to challenge you!"

"Don't get too impatient," Misty replied. "I have two trainers who have to face you, first. Beat them, and then you can face me."

I nodded. "Send them out."

"Parker, Diana!" Misty shouted. "It's your battle!"

A lanky man in a speedo and swimmer's cap appeared in the door behind her and walked onto one of the platforms, and a younger girl in a bikini followed him. I was confused.

"Which one am I facing first?" I asked.

"Your choice," Misty replied.

The girl had only one Moemon, so I shrugged and said, "Ladies first, I suppose."

"Good luck, Diana!" Parker shouted, stepping off his platform and joining Misty in the stands. Diana grinned at him, and then at me.

"Rose," I said, facing her. "Let's start off strong."

"Of course," she said, having returned to her calm demeanor. She hopped daintily onto one of the platforms, which wobbled beneath her, creating waves that circled to the edges of the pool. The platform started moving forward, and stopped a few inches from the center, held in place by a loose chain that reached to the bottom.

"Oh, this is not going to be enjoyable," Mandy groaned.

"Oh don't worry," said Christine, facing Mandy cheerfully. "I'm sure you won't get wet!"

Diana had sent out her Moemon, a Goldeen who looked very similar to Quinton's Eileen. She had no trouble keeping her balance, and would no doubt jump off the platform as soon as possible.

"At least the water's clear," I noted. It would be hard for my opponents to escape our sight. I could see underneath Rose's platform and warn if someone was underneath, and she could see everywhere else.

A referee had walked to the edge of the pool, different colored flags in both hands. "Trainers ready?" He asked, and both Diana and I nodded. "Then begin!"

At once, the Goldeen dove into the pool, and Rose kept her eyes on her, leaning over the platform to keep her within her sights.

"Mega Drain!" I commanded, and Rose held her palm out, following the Goldeen as it swam at the bottom of the pool. "You can reach, right?"

Rose nodded wordlessly, and her hand glowed the familiar green aura. I noticed the Goldeen struggling, clearly pained. Bubbles shot out of her mouth, and she started swimming to the surface. She broke the surface, gasping for air, but she reacted too late. As soon as Rose had finished channeling the first Mega Drain, she went for the second, draining the last of the Goldeen's HP. Diana recalled the Goldeen, clearly disappointed.

"Well done!" I shouted, flashing Rose a thumbs up. "It won't be long now!"

I'm proud to say that both of Parker's Moemon fell in the same fashion. He had the sense to attempt to attack immediately, but Rose swiftly dodged all water guns and bubblebeams and felled both Moemon in two hits. When the second had been recalled, Rose sat down and sighed, staring at the ceiling.

"Are you okay?" I asked. "Do you want me to help you up?"

"I'm fine," said Rose hazily. "Just tired."

"Hold on," I said, taking my shoe off and preparing to jump in the pool. "I'll get you."

"No, no," said Rose dreamily. "Just let me rest-" she exploded in a white light. It came so suddenly that I, already off balance, fell down. I simply watched at the sitting figure before me grew three times her size.

"She did it," I heard whispers behind me. "She finally did it."

When Rose returned to color, she looked much older, and looked at me happily. "I evolved." She smiled.

* * *

><p>Arthur:<p>

Christine the Charmeleon

Stacy the Staravia

Mandy the Mankey

Rose the Roselia

Olivia the Dewott

Annie the Aron

Garrett:

Gloria the Kirlia

Jenny the Joltik

Hope the Houndour

Lily the Petilil

Eileen the Goldeen

Quinton:

Melody the Beldum

Wendy the Wooper

Lucia the Riolu

Willow the Bonsly


End file.
